Tobacco Road Arc
by Pixieblade
Summary: Summary: The final battle didn't go quite as planned for our four. Now see what the future holds. AN: Not really a 'new' story, but I've put all the different stories of the arc up here and will update both the individual ones, as well as this one
1. Pinky Swear?

**Pinky Swear?**

Series: Saiyuki

Rating: M

Hakkai was late. He was never late, which made this all the more vexing, or weird, he wasn't sure, but he was pissed. Pacing their small house, Gojyo about wore a hole in the floor waiting. He checked the clock again, 10:43pm, he was off work at 6:30pm, so where the hell was he?!

An hour he could understand, emergency patients or old ladies or something, two hours, he's still a bit flaky and is probably reading a book or something, three hours, maybe a game of Mahjong with Mr. Sato the grocer ran over, but four hours?! Four _fucking_ hours had better mean someone was dying or the clinic caught on fire or something equally dramatic, because he did **not** just get stood up, that just didn't work in his mind.

He growled low in his throat, absently kicking the table's leg as he stalked into the kitchen and grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator. He'd just pulled the tab and sank heavily into the couch when the door burst open and Lee, the only other doctor at the clinic, burst through the door.

Shit. He was not happy. One, he really didn't like this girl, yeah, the irony of the fact wasn't lost on him, but she had a nasty habit of draping herself across whatever work surface Hakkai was using and it pissed him off. Two, her sudden intrusion into their home made him crush his beer. His _full_ beer. While he was still drinking it. Yep, he really hated this girl.

"Gojyo-san, come quick! There's an emergency outside of town! Hakkai-san! Hakkai-san's gone alone and I can't find him!" she breathlessly tugged on his arm, dragging him to his feet and out the door before her words sunk in, and then he was gone. Shot into the night, not waiting for her or directions, just, _gone_.

Racing into the darkness, mind reeling. All he could think was that he was cursed, he'd opened his big mouth and now somebody, who obviously hated him, was laughing at them. Shit. He just kept running onwards, nothing he could do now but try and drag that masochistic bastard home and enjoy their stupid, fucking, totally lame anniversary at home like he'd planned. Not that he remembered those things in the least bit. Even if it had been two years since they came back.

"Ah, hell." He skidded to a stop at the edge of the crowd, pushing through to get as close to the raging inferno as he could.

"Hakkai! Anyone seen Hakkai?!" he yelled over the small group gather huddling at the edge of the woods.

"Gojyo-san!"

"Meriel, have you seen Hakkai? Lee said he was here."

The middle-aged baker shook her head sadly and pointed into the fire, "He said he heard crying and ran in before we could stop him, that was ten minutes ago, we haven't seen or heard anything since!"

"Shit! Water, someone bring me water." He pulled his shirt over his head and glanced around the crowd, "NOW!!!" he bellowed, sending several of the younger men running with buckets to the nearest house.

Water procured he dunked his shirt and called for towels and sheets to be similarly treated. He pulled his shirt back over his head and wrapped a small sheet around his head before grabbing two more and taking a deep breath and plunging into the flames.

There was a house here, he remembered a young youkai family moving in last spring, they weren't turned away, but they weren't exactly accepted either. Hakkai had treated the kids once or twice for the minor childhood bumps and bruises and had been quite enamored with them; it made Gojyo fear for his virtue on more than one occasion.

"'Kai! Hakkai, where are you?! Answer me dammit!! 'Kai!" a rumbling to his left made him push on farther in. He angled towards the hottest spot, obviously the house had gone up, but damn, this wasn't a kitchen accident or anything, the fire was too hot, and he could still smell the gas in the air.

Shit. "Hakkai! You better fucking answer me right now! Hakkai!?"

*cough cough*

"Hakkai?! That you? Answer me!!"

"Go..jyo…here, we're over here…"

"Jesus 'Kai, I swear you do some of the stupidest…'Kai? 'Kai!" Gojyo pushed the fallen beam off of the smoldering back of his partner.

*sniffle**sob**hiccup*

Soft mewling under Hakkai's bruised and bloody body alerted him that they weren't alone in the inferno.

"Shit!" taking the sheets he wrapped one around each small body, the skin flaking into crisp ash as he pulled them out from under Hakkai.

*sob**sob*

"It's ok, we're gonna get you outta here, just hang on. Hakkai, dammit, don't you die on me, not like this!"

Gojyo leaned in and pulled Hakkai's limp body from the burning rubble.

"Hakkai, can you here me? I'm gonna take your limiters off, ok? You gotta help me with the kids; I can't get you all out of here by myself. 'Kai? You hear me?!" Gojyo shook his shoulder's lightly, relief flooding him as Hakkai coughed spastically and nodded weakly, clinging to him as he turned.

The kids were crying and Hakkai was choking on the gas fumes, half conscious but making a good attempt at walking, so hell, maybe they'd make it after all. Gojyo pulled both kids into his arms and somehow managed to wrap his towel around both his and Hakkai's heads, pulling him in against his rapidly drying shirt and started back towards where he estimated he come in from.

The crowd gasped as they stumbled out into the blazing night, immediately having water poured over them, the kids hurriedly taken off to the clinic for treatment on the worse of their burns and suddenly he had Hakkai's head on his shoulder and he was leaning in and kissing him with wanton abashment.

"You scared the shit out of me, 'Kai. What the hell where you thinking?"

Hakkai coughed weakly and he pulled him in closer against him, running dirty fingers through singed hair, pausing over light burns and cuts, reassuring himself that he was here and alive.

"I saw the fire from the clinic as I was closing up." He coughed again, harder this time and Gojyo reached for the water bucket, lightly cupping some in his hands and helping Hakkai take a sip to clear his throat.

"We couldn't get close, it was too hot, and then I thought I heard screaming. They were still in there, we could see them as they burned." He shuddered and Gojyo tightened his grip around his waist.

"I…I couldn't just sit back and watch. The kids, you could still hear their cries, high and terrified, I couldn't…Gojyo, I couldn't."

"Shh…it's ok, I know, I know…." He wasn't really sure what it was he 'knew' but he did know if there was even the slightest chance, there's no way Hakkai could just sit back and let innocent children die such a horribly painful death, even if it put his life in jeopardy.

"That fire, it wasn't natural, it was deliberately set, who…who could do such a thing to children?" Hakkai choked back sobs and Gojyo remembered his own past, a mother that tried to kill him, and a brother that killed to save him. Glancing at Hakkai he thought it must be worse for him, first growing up in the orphanage, then Kanan's capture and torture, the knowledge that she took hers' and the child she'd been impregnated with lives', then everything that happened on their journey.

Yes, it must be worse, because after everything that had happened, he'd seen his brother again, and he had Hakkai. So all he could do was offer soothing, meaningless words and soft touches; weave him through the crowd who gave them a wide birth, and he filed away the knowledge that this was the first time the townspeople had ever seen his youkai form. He needed to get him to the clinic, that's all he could manage right now; he'd worry about the rest tomorrow.

***

The clinic was packed, he'd never seen so many people in it, or been so grateful that when it came down to it, Lee was still a doctor and managed herself like one. She set them down in a corner, handing Gojyo antiseptic, clean water and bandages and a wink, saying how he knew Hakkai's body better than anyone else and then she was gone, fading back into the crowd.

A soft laugh from Hakkai reminded him of where they were and he quickly dropped his hair to hide the blush creeping across his face.

"Feisty, ain't she?"

"heh, Yes, she can be quite the problem child when she wants to be."

"Speaking of kids, I don't see them anywhere." He glanced up and looked around the room.

"Lee probably put them in a private room; they had some pretty bad burns."

Gojyo looked down to see Hakkai's eyes cloud over, "Now don't start that Hakkai! They'd be dead without your help, that's better than a few scars. Hell, we all have scars to bear, right?" he ran a finger down Hakkai's face and the green eyed demon leaned into it, hungry for the comfort it offered him.

"Hakkai-san, Gojyo-san, can you two come with me please?" Lee was at their elbows without Gojyo noticing, which reminded him why the woman ticked him off so much, damn woman had no sense of place or time.

Hakkai sighed wearily and managed a shaky nod of his head before Gojyo slipped his arm around his shoulders and pulled him to his feet, taking most of his weight on himself.

"I don't want to say this out here, please follow me."

Gojyo noticed the stiffening of backs as they moved through the room, the hard glances and shuffling of feet, _what the hell?_

Lee led them to a small room with an adjoining door and pushed them through it, locking the door securely behind them. Relief flooded her small frame as she turned back to them. Low sobbing came across the flimsy curtain separating the room in half. Gojyo gently lowed Hakkai to the only chair in the sparse room and quickly crossed the few feet to throw back the curtain.

Two pairs of dark red eyes gleamed up at him, brimming with tears and covered in puffy bandages, small shackles joining their ankles together.

"What the hell?" he turned on Lee then, "What the hell's going on here?"

She raised her he hands in defense, "I didn't do it, please Gojyo-san, Hakkai-san, you have to take them and leave, now, tonight, you can't stay here any longer, it's not safe!" her voice had taken on a fevered pitch that set Gojyo's blood pressure racing.

"Lee." His voice was dangerously soft and calm. Gojyo looked at Hakkai in dread; he _knew_ that voice that was a 'bad' voice in his book. Meant people were gonna die soon and painfully. "Lee, please explain in detail why there are injured _children_ chained up like animals in _my_ clinic."

Lee hastily backed up and stammered, "They did it. I thought they were just going to ask them to leave the town, but someone took it a step farther. I swear, I didn't know! And then you ran in there, and everyone was really concerned, but they didn't know! I never told them that you weren't human! I don't care if they're youkai or human, but the town! The town was ravaged two years ago, whole families were slaughtered! They're afraid, please, they're just afraid!"

"And they aren't?!" Gojyo whipped a hand back towards the kids.

"They just had their parents and home torched so those ignorant bastards could feel better! And now, what, they're gonna do the same thing to us? I can't believe this! I've lived here for years; Hakkai's been with me most of the time! And now that they know they're gonna do what? Chain us to a fucking stake and bar-be-que us? Give me a fucking break! I'd like to see them try!"

"Gojyo."

"You can't seriously think this is okay, Hakkai!" he rounded on the ex-human, stopping dead in his tracks as he saw, no, _felt_ the vines shaking in controlled fury.

"Lee, unlock the children and make us a bag of medical supplies please."

"Ye..yes, Hakkai-san."

"'Kai?"

"You might have to find something else to call me, Gojyo."

"What do you mean?"

Hakkai picked up the little boy who was sobbing on the table and held him close, "Because, this ones name is 'Kai' and this is 'Mao'." He reached out and lightly petted this little girls red hair. Turning back to Gojyo his eyes took on a hard glint, "And they're coming with us."

***

Ch. 2-

Gojyo glanced through the bag Lee handed him and pulled the scarf and lab coat off the back of the door, tossing it to Hakkai. The green youkai discarded the tattered shirt on the lab table and pulled on the coat, tying his hair back with the scarf. His slightly mismatched eyes seemed to glow in an unearthly way and Gojyo could feel the anger building in his mate.

"Hakkai, chill dude, we have things to do first." He laid a gentle arm over Moa's shoulder and spoke softly, letting his words sink in.

A low growl escaped Hakkai's pale lips, but the tension in the room dropped noticeably.

"Very well. Lee, I'm going to have to handcuff you so they don't think you helped us, ok?" his eyes were hard, but there was a sad determination in them that made her let out a shaky breath and wink at them.

"I thought you'd never ask. Of course, I wasn't really planning on it ending like this, you know?" she ran a hand through her short hair, a light flip of the wrist causing the rusty metal to clank together off-key.

"Lee." She looked at Gojyo straight on for the first time since they'd met her a year ago.

"Gojyo-san, I expect you to take care of them. _All_ of them. I won't forgive you if you fail. Although I don't expect a lousy cockroach to know how to take care of a family."

"What'd you say you little she-demon!"

Gojyo's antenna were up on end, fist clenched as the two verbally spared for a moment.

"Yare, yare, come now children, let's leave the 'grown-ups' to their bickering."

"Hey, Hakkai! Wait-up!" he grabbed the pouch and slung the straps over both shoulders, hefting Kai up in his arms as Hakkai went through and checked their escape.

Hakkai led them back through the adjoining room and over to a bookshelf laden with boring medical texts.

"Umm, Hakkai, I don't think we really have the time to...oh. Ok, then."

Hakkai had his usual 'you were saying' smile plastered across his face, though the addition of the vines made it kinda freaky-sexy to look at. As he waved them through the shallow opening in the floor he wondered, just what kind of clinic has a secret escape route?

"This was here when I took over. Seems the previous owner of the building was a weapon's dealer, funny how life works, isn't it? The tunnel runs out towards the lake, we can cut back along the forest trail to the house and see what we can get before they find this. You two ok? Do you hurt anywhere?"

His gaze slipped down to the shivering figure in his arms.

Kai shook head against Gojyo's chest emphatically; Mao just stared up at Hakkai not speaking. The look she gave him, Gojyo remembered that look, it was the same look he'd given his brother after Jein had killed his mother to save him, fear, awe, respect, yeah, he knew that look well.

"Hey Hakkai, so what's the plan, I don't think we're gonna be able to stay at the house for very long."

"Clothes, food, whatever we can carry and nothing else. Jeep'll be the fastest way out of town, if we can put the mountains between us and them, I don't think they'll follow."

He nodded and kept running. Hakkai's brain was going in a million directions at once, who, what, where, why, all the while the anger seethed below the surface. He tapped into it, using the hot frustration to spur his legs to move faster over the rough terrain.

*huff* *huff*

"Ok, we're like, completely out of shape or something."

"Oh, I didn't realize you were such an old man, Gojyo."

"Heh, yeah right, if I am so are you. Only difference is you're cheating."

Hakkai turned a stricken face to the hanyou, "Cheating? I'd never dream of cheating on you, Gojyo."

A broad smile crossed the red-head's face, "Ha! Don't even start, 'Kai, there are kids present."

He shifted the young boy higher onto his shoulders and took a quick look around.

"Seems like we're what, quarter mile from the house?"

"Yes, it takes about ten minutes at a brisk walk. That way." Hakkai raised a long fingered hand and pointed off towards the west."

"West, huh? Seem familiar to you?" he tossed a crooked smile over his shoulder and started jogging.

"Hmm...maybe a bit more violent than last time."

"Oi! And how do you know how long it takes to get home from here?"

"Ah, yes, well, late shifts do tend to make one find the quickest and most efficient way home."

Hakkai smiled at him as they ran on skirting the edges of the woods.

"So, where to after this?"

"Hmm...do you really have to ask?"

"Shit. And here I was thinking we'd finally gotten rid of those two."

"Well, it does seem the most logical place to hide for a bit, doesn't it?"

"Damn it. That droopy eyed little princess of a priest better not open his mouth about us showing up with kids. Not one, fucking word!"

"Gojyo, please. You really do need to cut back on the swearing. We have children now."

"Oh don't even start with me Hakkai. Not now of all places!"

***

Lights in the distance told them to hurry. Hakkai shouted out a list of things to collect to Gojyo as they raced through the house. Taking the kids into the bedroom he rummaged around for two of their smallest shirts and helped the twins out of their torn and bloody ones.

Sparing a few moments to grab a wet cloth from the adjoining bathroom he ran it carefully over their faces and arms, taking great care around the bandages. Every time they hissed or cringed in pain he felt the anger rearing back up to the surface.

"Stay here for a moment; I'm going to go check on Gojyo." Kai nodded and pulled Mao closer against him. He was starting to get worried, he hadn't heard a single word out of her the entire time they were running, he'd have to keep an eye on her, make sure the shock didn't go too deep.

He turned and ran for the door, almost getting hit as Gojyo burst through, duffle bags swung over his shoulder. Grabbing the healer by the collar, he swung him around and pushed him towards the window.

"Not that way Hakkai! We got visitors, and they don't seem to be the type to wipe their shoes before coming in!"

"Oh, how very rude of them, perhaps I should..."

"NOT NOW, HAKKAI!!! Here! Take the bags and get out the window, I'll hand the kids down to you."

"But, Gojyo!"

"No arguing! Just go! Jeep! Where the hell are you, you little flying rat?!"

"KYU!!"

"Good, go Hakkai, go! Mao! Kai! Come here, hurry!"

Kai pulled his sister's hand harshly, dragging here towards the window and pushing her into waiting arms.

"Go, Mao, go!" her fingers clung to his, crying out as they were ripped apart.

"KAI!!!"

"It's ok, just wait here, he'll be right down, please, just wait Mao. I promise we won't leave him behind." Hakkai reached up as Kai came flying through the window at him.

Gojyo smiled, he liked the kid's style.

Setting the kids in the backseat, Hakkai pulled himself into the driver's seat, craning his neck back to see where Gojyo was.

"Gojyo!"

"Alley-op! Hit it 'Kai!"

As Jeep squealed onto the dirt path leading from their house the sounds of doors being broken down carried to them by the wind.

*Sigh*

"And I had just waxed the floor too."

"Yeah, doesn't look like we'll be able to go back anytime soon either. So what now?"

"We go west of course."

"Yeah. West."

Gojyo settled down into the seat, leaning back as small, chubby hands squirmed their way over the seats and into his arms. As two little red-heads brushed up under his nose ha saw Hakkai smile into the moonlight and he sighed.

Well, one way or another, their lives were never boring, were they?

***

Ch. 3-

It was their third day on the road. He hated driving. Well, not really hated, but he hated running and all this was, was running while sitting. His ass and brain were hurting and he was fed up with the whole damn thing.

"Hakkai, come on man, I think we lost them several days ago. You can just drive to Sanzo's now, really."

"...."

"Hakkai, hey now, don't go all silent on me, what's wrong?"

"I can't find them."

"Can't find what?"

"The limiters, I can't show up at the temple without them."

"Screw the limiters. You don't need them anymore."

Hakkai gave his partner a quick glance.

"Look, it's no use, they're gone now. You've maintained this form for almost a week and you haven't killed any of us, I think your fine."

"...."

"Besides," he took a quick look over his shoulder to make sure the kids weren't listening before leaning in close and whispering into Hakkai's neck, "I like the vines. They're major sexy." He reached up and bit down sharply on Hakkai's ear. Smiling perversely as Jeep swerved in the road and the kid's mumbled sleepily.

He sat back looking exceedingly pleased with himself as Hakkai's face flushed crimson.

"Now, can we stop pussy-footing around and get to the stupid temple already, my ass is asleep."

"Gojyo...please shut your mouth or you'll bite your tongue."

He was grinning as he pressed the gas to the floor and they drove on.

***

"SANNNZOOOO!!! No Fair!!! I wanted to eat those! San~zo! Saaa~nnn~zoooooo!"

"Oi! Seems like nothing's changed then and here I thought you two'd be all love-birdie and stuff."

The pair stopped mid step, Goku running into the back of Sanzo with a muffled "uff!"

"Gojyo!" peeking behind Sonzo's robes he grinned from ear to ear and bounded over.

"Shitty kappa, what do you want?"

"Oi! Can it you prissy monk and go let Hakkai and the kids in, your stupid lackeys are giving us shit at the front door." Gojyo turned and walked back down the corridor, leaving a confused Goku blinking up at Sanzo rapidly.

"Did he just say, kids?"

"Hey, Gojyo, wait! Kids? What kids? Did you and Hakkai finally have kids or something?! Gojyo? OWWW!!! WHAT"D YOU DO THAT FOR???"

Sanzo ground his teeth in irritation; he was going to kill them all for real this time, he really was.

***

Half an hour later they were all seated in Sanzo's room; tea steaming on a tray and the gentle laughter of giggling coming from outside in the garden. The twins had taken to Goku instantly, clinging to their new 'oni-chan' and bubbling up a storm.

Hakkai stood by Gojyo at the window looking out over the scene paternally.

"So, you two going to tell me what the hell happened or are you just going to stand there and drink my tea like an old married couple?"

"Ah, well, it is a rather long tale, Gojyo?"

"Hmmm...Basically, the town torched the kid's and their parents in their house. I took off Hakkai's limiters after he was stupid enough to run in after them and got pinned, and then they decided we should all die. So, we came to crash here. See, that wasn't so long Hakkai."

Hakkai smiled his 'less than amused' face and looked back to Sanzo, "Well, yes, that is kind of the clift-notes version."

"Hmph! Fine, you can stay here for a bit, but the limiters..." he looked Hakkai over questioningly; he seemed ok, "How long?"

"Four days now." Hakkai sat with his hands folded in his lap; head slightly bowed when Gojyo walked up behind him and placed both hands on his shoulders protectively.

"Screw that, Hakkai's fine; he doesn't need the stupid limiters! The Minus Waves over! He didn't touch a single human when they were after us."

Sanzo gaze flitted from one to the other, Gojyo's defiant glare, Hakkai's startled expression, the softness of the touches they shared...

"Fine, we'll go talk to the three heads tomorrow. I'm not standing up for you this time, you want to argue with them, go ahead."

"And you! Bakasaru, get out of the fucking tree right now!"

A lazy, "yes, Sanzo" wafted in on the afternoon breeze.

"You're all crazy, every single one of you." Sanzo mumbled before going back to his paper and ignoring them.

***

"Hey Hakkai, can the kids sleep in my room tonight?" Goku peered up at them with that puppy-dog stare of his.

"How old are you now? Act like an adult, would you?" Gojyo mock swiped at him as he ducked and danced out of reach grinning widely.

"Why? Hakkai, can they?"

Hakkai kneeled down beside the twins and smiled softly at them, "Kai, Mao, would you like to stay with Goku tonight? We'll be right next store if you need us."

Mao nodded tentatively as Kai exclaimed, "Yeah! Can we? Can we stay with oni-chan?"

"If you say it like that I guess we have no choice, do we Gojyo?"

Leaning down over the edge of the bed he smiled around the cigarette hanging loosely from his lips, "Nope, no arguing when we're out numbered three to two."

"Alright then, let's get you ready for bed while Goku gets the extra futons set-up, ok?"

"Yeah!" the twins about twisted him in half trying to simultaneously pull him towards the bathroom from opposite sides.

"Ok, ok. *haha* I get it, I'm coming, I'm coming, no need to rush."

"He looks happy."

Gojyo turned back to his beer, holding the amber liquid up to the light and swishing it softly in the glass, "Yeah. It was touch and go there for a minute though. When we realized what they were going to do to them," Gojyo sighed, sending a grey puff of smoke skittering across the table, "if he was ever gonna lose it, it would have been then. But now...I think they need each other; those kids and him. I haven't seen him smile like that in a long time."

Sanzo dipped the edge of the paper and peered over at the hanyou, "I don't think it's just him they need. They seemed to look to you for guidance this afternoon too."

"Heh, how fucked up is that then?"

The priest just fluttered his paper and pretended he hadn't heard the question, it wasn't really meant for him anyways.

***

Gojyo was alone when Hakkai finally came back to their room.

"Holy shit 'Kai, what the hell happened to you?" he was sitting up in bed when the healer had walked back in, dripping, clothes disheveled, he looked like he'd been through a war.

"Ah, yes, umm...we must remember not to let Goku in the tub with them, that was, unpleasantly physical."

Gojyo raised an eyebrow at the odd word choice, "Do I even want to know?"

"He, umm...well two children in a tub is hard enough, but three..."

"No, never mind, I don't think I want to know anymore." He waved away the question and grabbed a towel from the closet before walking over to Hakkai and tossing it over his head.

"So, they in bed yet?"

"They're in Goku's room and were under the covers when I left them, now...who knows?" he laughed shakily, he'd never dealt with children for such an extended period of time before, even when he was teaching.

"So that means I've finally got you alone for a while then...and we really need to get you out of these wet clothes before you get sick..." he left the idea hanging in the air, Hakkai could choose to leave it or pluck it off and run with it, his choice.

"Sometimes I think Goku has the right of it after all."

"What's that 'Kai." He ran his hands over the towel, rubbing softly against Hakkai's wet hair.

"You really are a pervert Kappa."

Hands stilled as Gojyo leaned back and laughed whole-heartedly. "That's it, there's my Hakkai! I knew you were in there somewhere."

"Yes, well, let me just show you how much it's me..." he backed the still laughing man up until he hit the edge of the bed, holding on to him as they fell together.

He never wanted to let go.

***

Ch. 4-

A shrill, piercing scream ripped through the air of the temple. Gojyo and Hakkai shot out of bed, the same word falling out of their lips, "Mao!"

Between grabbing for clothes and the door and trying not to run into each other as they pushed through the suddenly too small door of the room they took maybe three breaths.

"Mao! Mao, what's wrong hunny?" Gojyo was kneeling by her bedroll, but it was Hakkai that she ran to. Flinging herself into his arms she cried hard, racking sobs, "Daddy! Daddy!!"

Kai crawled up and into Gojyo's arms, clinging to him and watching his sister at the same time.

"Shh…it's ok, you're safe, it's ok, we're here now, shhh…" he ran vine covered hands and claws over her head, pressed feather-light kisses into her hair and just held her as she cried, rocking back and forth on his knees lightly.

*hic* *sniff* *hic*

Kai was pressing small hands into his eyes, wiping the tears away messily. Gojyo pulled him in against his chest and patted his back, rubbing small circles and letting the low rumble of his voice wash over the boy.

"Saru."

Goku turned quickly at the voice. Glancing back at the heart-wrenching scene he hiccupped lightly and reached out a hand. Gathering up the folds of Sanzo's robes he followed the gentle pull out of the room and down the hall.

"You can stay here tonight; I think those four need a little _family_ time."

"O..k…"

Goku looked around the sparse room and scrubbed at his eyes before noticing that Sanzo had left the sheet turned down beside him on the small bed. He smiled softly and crawled in beside the monk, reflexively curling in against Sanzo's chest. As he slipped off to sleep he felt the warmth of hands pulling him in closer, and sighed contentedly as he snuggled in next to the black clad chest.

***

Mao and Kai had finally stopped crying a few hours before dawn. Gojyo and Hakkai were exhausted from the lack of sleep, but as the sun rose and they went to detangle themselves from the small bodies they found rebellious, terrified eyes soundlessly begging them not to go. Which led to the very sweet scene Goku found when he finally came to check on them.

Inching back out of the room he jumped ten feet at Sanzo's harsh voice behind him.

"What the hell are you doing, bakasaru?" Sanzo stood there, fan on hip, like he was just itching to slap someone, and Goku really didn't want it to be him.

"But Sanzo," he whispered, "You can't wake them up now, it's just too cu~te!"

"What the hell are you talking about, move."

Sanzo opened the door angrily and stopped dead.

Leaning against the wall were Gojyo and Hakkai, shoulders and heads resting together, an exhausted look weighing their faces down even in sleep, a small child curled up on each of their chests, faces pressed into rumpled sleeping shirts, one hand clutching hair, the other reaching out and holding the other twin's, one of their make-shift parent's arms wrapped protectively around them.

Sanzo's eye twitched as he pulled the door closed and stalked back to his room.

"It's too early for this shit. We're going back to sleep, now!"

"We?"

"Don't ask stupid questions before coffee."

"Yes, Sanzo!"

_Stupid monkey was way to chipper about this_, is what he thought as he crawled back into bed and pulled the sheets insolently over their heads.

***

Ch. 5-

By lunch time everyone was finally up, slightly red eyed and grumpy, but mostly functional. Sanzo, Hakkai, and Gojyo were setting out for the three-aspects leaving the twins in Goku's care at the temple. Basically, the whole situation terrified Hakkai to no end.

"Are you sure they'll be alright?" Hakkai asked worriedly, glancing back over his shoulder as the door closed loudly behind them.

Gojyo ran a hand through long crimson hair and flashed a devilishly handsome smile at his mate, "Yeah, even if he is a monkey, he's probably good for them, you know? All that energy and loudness, they'll be fine with him."

"Actually, I was talking about the monks, they seemed absolutely terrified at the thought of being left alone with Goku all day." He smiled shakily and looked over at Sanzo.

"Hmph! Like I care." Sanzo lit up and kept walking, mumbling to himself about stupid monkeys and hogging all the blankets. Gojyo and Hakkai exchanged knowing grins but wisely said nothing.

***

The Sanbutsushin were annoying as usual; their being all floaty and stuff. Gojyo hated the place, reminded him of the being called to the principal's office.

"Screw that! Why the hell should we leave them with a bunch of people they don't know?"

"You are not capable of dealing with those children. You couldn't even find a way of getting out of the fire without releasing his limiters."

"Yeah, well, if you saw them being burned alive why didn't you make it rain or something? What kind of floating head are you if you can't even save two kids!"

"Gojyo..."

"No Hakkai, I'm tired of having our lives dictated by a bunch of freaks who can't even handle a fraction of our lives! First they condemn us for being us, then they send us on that shit 'hole of a trip, and then they go off and try and take the kids from us all while basically telling you off for not wearing your God damn limiters! Screw this! We don't need you telling us how to live our lives!" he was spitting with fury, _how dare they?!_

"Go...jyo..." Hakkai got up and walked over to the hanyou, placing a strong hand on his shoulder he pressed in gently.

"Hakkai..."

Hakkai turned and faced the three aspects, "Of all the people out there who could take in these two, I think we understand them best."

"How so?"

"We have both experienced what it is like to live without families, we know what the orphanages and streets are like. We've experienced loss and rejection and we know what it means to love someone. And we truly care for those two. Quite frankly, you would be hard pressed to find more suitable parents."

"And what shall you do to support yourselves and these children?"

"Coffee shop..." Gojyo mumbled.

"Eh?" Hakkai's eyes went wide at the soft voice.

Gojyo straightened and placed a reassuring hand on Hakkai's, "It's about time we finally had that coffee shop you wanted. Obviously we can't go back, but we _can_ go forward."

The Sanbutsushin looked to each other before turning back towards the two youkai before them.

"Very well. There is a town three days journey to the south of here that has a large human/youkai population. The relations between the two have been holding steady for the last few years; it should provide a stable environment for you." Gojyo tightened his hand on Hakkai's and smiled widely.

"Genjo Sanzo, we wish to speak with you further, please stay."

Hakkai and Gojyo turned and looked at Sanzo who merely nodded as they left and started back towards the temple below.

***

It was late evening when Sanzo finally returned. Hakkai placed his paper and a cup of tea on his desk as he sat down wearily.

"Is there anything you want to talk about, Sanzo?" he asked gently.

Sanzo glanced up at him stonily.

"Should I take that as a 'no', then?"

"Hmph!"

Leaving the monk to his thoughts, a look of concern crossed his face, something was wrong, but he could do nothing if Sanzo didn't talk to him. Hakkai filed the thought away; deciding he'd talk to Gojyo about it later.

Rounding the corner he was sent flying, a dirty Goku and small red planets colliding with his chest, "Umf!"

"Uh-oh. Um..are you ok, Hakkai-papa?"

"Eh?" his vision swam for a minute.

"Mao, go get Gojyo-papa, I think we broke him." Kai poked his nose a few times experimentally.

"'kay!"

Mao scrambled off of him and ran back the way they'd come.

"Hey, Hakkai? You okay? We didn't break you or anything, did we?"

Hakkai coughed and looked up through chestnut hair, Goku's face was upside down, his brow furrowed in concern.

"Ah...I...I think I'll live, thank you." Kai slid off of him as Goku pulled him to his feet. He was leaning against the wall holding his side when he heard the unmistakable patter of small feet rounding the corner, Mao holding tightly onto Gojyo's fingers as she pulled him onwards.

Gojyo scooped her up as he skidded to a stop. She leaned out towards Hakkai and waved her arms back and forth, "Hakkai-papa! Not broken?"

Hakkai took her squirming form from Gojyo and carefully set her on his hip, canting it slightly out of alignment to accommodate the change in weight.

"No, I'm not broken, but you three need to not run in the halls anymore, ok?" Mao nuzzled in against his chest, pushing her shock of red hair up under his chin.

"Okay."

He glanced at Kai and the boy nodded his head contritely, "We're sorry. We promise we won't run inside anymore."

"Alright, now, I have a question for you two." He kneeled down and placed Mao beside her brother, Gojyo imitating him and sitting cross-legged on the floor beside him.

"We were thinking of going south soon. There seems to be a town that's in need of a good coffee shop." He grinned at Gojyo, "We wanted to know if you wanted to go with us?"

Kai looked at them searchingly, "All of us?"

Gojyo blinked, "The four of us, you and Mao and Hakkai and me. The monkey has to stay here and keep an eye on that droopy-eyed Ojii-san." He jerked his thumb back at Sanzo's door.

"Mao?" Kai turned to his sister and the two exchanged a serious look.

Mao walked over and grabbed a fistful of Gojyo's hair, tugging it hard, "Mao, wanna go with papas." She looked up at him sternly, tiny fangs biting into the tip of her chubby little thumb.

Gojyo sucked in a quick breath, he was so screwed. In that one look he realized he'd never be able to deny her anything. Shit. He was going to turn into one of those fathers he used to hate. You know the overprotective kind that wouldn't let a punk like him anywhere near their kids.

Hakkai did one of those mind-reading things he was so good at and smiled brightly at him, yep, he was screwed.

"I'm not giving up smoking though." He sighed at the glitter that sparkled deep in Hakkai's good eye.

"I guess that's an expectable compromise." Hakkai smiled brightly, that real smile he pulled out for special occasions and the kids lit up, bouncing over to him and pushing his cheeks up and down squealing like they'd found a secret treasure.

He sat back against the wall and just let it wash over him.

"So, you got a real family now, huh?" Goku hunched down beside him and tilted his head, laughing as the kid's enthusiasm toppled Hakkai again and the three laid there sprawled out across the temple's hallway.

"Yep. Guess I do." He was probably grinning like a fool the entire time.

And a few days later, as they pulled out of Chang'an and the kids waved furiously from the back seat, Gojyo yelling at them to be careful or they'd fall out, he figured he was still smiling.

And again, when they were handed the keys to their new house over the small shop that would eventually house a bustling crowd of humans and youkai and he'd be running around with coffee and pastries, the giggling of two small red-heads blowing in through the open window overlooking the porch, Hakkai pouring dark, steaming cups behind the bar, he figured his face would break in half from all the smiling he'd be doing.

And late at night, with Hakkai curled up beside him, head cushioned on his shoulder, the soft sound of banging coming through the ceiling as they kids jumped on their beds, way after night had fallen, he'd look up and stare at the wooden floorboards above their heads and smile again.

He was starting to get the hang of this smiling thing he thought. Real smiling.

Fin.


	2. Night Goblin Tengu no Yoru

Title: **Night Goblin (Tengu no Yoru)**

Series: Saiyuki AU

Rating: M-for violence

AN: Part two of the Tobacco Road arc. Listen to _Locking up the Sun_ by Poets of the Fall.

Ch. 1-

"But San~zo~!!!"

"No! Now shut the hell up! I swear, one more word out of you and I really will shoot you!"

Goku quieted down and slumped in his chair across from Sanzo's desk. The golden-haired monk noticed with growing agitation that he was equally pissed at Goku and himself. Quite frankly the whole situation pissed him off.

"What about tomorrow?"

"What the hell did I just say?!" he roared.

"But Hakkai said they have the shop all up and running now. I wanna see the kids, and Gojyo running around in a waiters outfit, we gotta see that! Come on Sanzo! I promise I'll be good the entire time we're there." Goku tried the puppy-eyes tactic, which always worked on Sanzo, even when he had the gun pointed at him, like now.

"Sit down and shut the HELL up now! We're not going to drive for three days just to see that dickwad cockroach!"

Goku was about to quip back that Hakkai and the kids would be there too, but something dark slipped behind Sanzo's eyes making him clamp his lips shut and swallow his retort.

He sat back in his chair as Sanzo slipped the banishing gun back into his sleeve and dropped his head, eyes surreptiously sliding over the monk's features. Lately he'd noticed Sanzo was becoming easier to anger, harder to calm down, and increasingly concerned with where and what Goku was doing almost 24/7. They'd even started sleeping in the same room, much to the other monks' annoyance.

Not that he was complaining about that part. He'd been trying to convince Sanzo to sleep with him for months, but nothing. It was actually starting to get really painful, being so close to him and yet still having that cold line between them. It really sucked.

The whole damn problem started right after Sanzo had gone with Hakkai and Gojyo up to the Sanbutsushin's temple a few months back. The two demons had come back full of smiles, but Sanzo hadn't come home until real late, way past nightfall. He'd been sitting up with Hakkai waiting when he'd finally come in, dead on his feet with dark smudges under his eyes. He'd looked like he'd just been hit.

Goku was about to run over to him when Hakkai had placed a warning hand on his shoulder and shook his head. Goku knew enough not to press the matter and left out the back way through the window and down across the garden. He'd been curled up in their bed when sometime around midnight Sanzo had slipped in.

He didn't lay beside him though, just stood over him in the shadows looking. Goku had pretended to be asleep when he'd walked in, and something about the soft sounds and quiet movements he was making made him stay that way, eyes screwed shut, body trembling he was trying to stay still so hard.

After a few minutes Sanzo sat heavily on the edge of the bed and ran a calloused finger across his forehead and through his hair, lightly fingering the golden diadem enmeshed in his chestnut brown hair. There was a slight catching sound, a choked off exclamation that was so faint he wasn't sure if he'd actually heard it or not, and then Sanzo was leaning over him, lips pressed lightly to his, hot, salty drops dripping on him from above.

And still he didn't move.

He wanted to. He was dying here, letting the man cry in front of him without doing anything, but he knew Sanzo, and he wasn't one to appreciate having others see him being 'weak', so he stayed still. When the priest had finally come to bed Goku shifted in his fiend sleep and curled around him, pressing in impossibly close, trying to comfort him without being obvious. As Sanzo's arms came around him and clung to him through the darkness of the night he let himself breathe, maybe it worked then. Maybe.

Since then every time he went somewhere Sanzo had asked where he was going. Eventually Goku had just started prefacing everything with, "Okay, I'm gonna go get something to eat in the kitchen, you want anything?" or "Gotta hit the head, be back in a minute." or "The weather looks nice, I think I'm gonna go sit in the Sakura tree." Anything to make the shadows dancing behind Sanzo's eyes fade just a bit.

But it was hard. Laying there at night trying to sleep and not being able to because Sanzo either clung so tightly it hurt, or he refused to touch him. Goku was starting to get so upset about it that he'd started skipping meals; he was down to only two or three a day instead of his usual nine.

He'd been laying in the shade under the Sakura tree when he felt it. He wasn't sure what _it_ was exactly, but it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, like a cold wind was blowing over him, even though there was no breeze that day. He sat up, or tried to anyways. Noticing an odd shifting he realized the entire garden was silent. And it smelled funny. Not bad, just, _off_.

The light shifted and everything was tinged in gold. Shadows moved closer towards him as he scrambled up onto his feet.

"Stay."

The word reverberated through the garden and his entire body trembled with the power behind it. Finding himself unable to move, he ground out between clenched teeth, "Who are you?"

"I am you. The you that is still growing." A talk golden demon came materialized out of the shadows. Golden eyes and diadem glittered in the sunlight as soft white cherry blossom petals drifted lazily from overhead.

"Seiten Taisei Son Goku." he breathed.

"Yes. The you from before, the one who has been left sleeping, waiting until you are ready, or I am needed."

"I don't need you. I'm fine by myself." he pouted, lower lip pushed out defiantly.

"You don't have a choice. Eventually you will become me and this persona will fade into memories and dust."

"Why?! I have friends here, family! Why can't you leave and I stay, why does it have to be me?" Goku was shaking in frustration, he remembered the past, the reasons he was kicked out of heaven for, twice.

The Great Sage kneeled beside his younger self and ran a clawed hand over his shaggy mop of hair.

"This you and this me cannot exist at the same point in time, it is hard, and it is painful, but that is the way of things."

"So I have to die?" he was sniffling now, like he'd just been told his favorite pet had died.

"No, we will become one, that is the truth of this body, when we are both needed, when there is a point where your consciousness and heart needs my mind and powers, then we will have to become one, I do not know what will cause that, and I do not know which of us will become the dominant personality, but _we_ will have to be strong to survive it." he smiled, though it looked more menacing coming from him for some reason, maybe it was all the fangs.

Goku looked up at him as he rose to leave, "When it comes time, will I remember everything? Will you?"

"When it is time, the whole of the universe will be made open to us. That is the other truth, we will become what we were meant to be, the truth of our birth, Bastard Child of Heaven and Earth, more powerful than either, protector of both."

The shadows rose up to swallow him then, dark hands that brought him back into their fold, caressing and protecting him as he slid back into the darker sections of Goku's mind and soul. He was left staring out over the garden as the gold faded to the normal light of midday. He remembered this time. Since he'd come back with everyone from heaven he remembered all the times he'd been the powerful demon, and it terrified him.

Sometimes, if he was woken from a dream or a noise, he'd look at his hands and see claws dripping with blood and flesh, stringing mats of torn muscle and skin, an oozing pile of tattered soft tissue laying underneath him and he'd remember that it'd been Sanzo's body and his hands, and he'd scream into the night until Sanzo would shake or slap him back into consciousness. He'd cry then, clinging to Sanzo and refusing to let go or answer the questions that were way too kind for him to want to hear. He didn't want to remember some things.

***

Ch. 2-

The day was hot and sweltering. Full summer was on them and much to Sanzo's annoyance, the temple had refused to put in air-conditioning, so he was forced to lay in the darkest place he could, the innermost sanctum of the temples' prayer rooms. Curled up on the cool wood he listened to the cicadas and the clanking of ice melting in his lemonade. The light snore to his left would be Goku; stupid monkey was like his shadow these days.

A frown slipped over his delicate features; for once it had been him clinging to the younger man, holding on for dear life while frantically trying to disavow the entire situation. He leaned back and slid black-clad hands under his head, staring up at the ceiling he thought back to his meeting with the Three Aspects several months ago….

***

"Genjo Sanzo, we wish to speak with you further, please stay."

_Shit_. As Hakkai and Gojyo wandered out, smiles plastered across their faces, shoulders lightly brushing, he mentally kicked himself, anytime the three heads wanted to talk to him alone shit had hit the fan and he was left cleaning up after it. He kneeled soundlessly and crushed his cigarette out under his sandal.

"Yes, my Lords."

"We are growing concerned with you charge."

"You just told those two morons what to do, what's the problem?"

"Not those two, Son Goku."

"Goku? That empty-headed, bottomless pit of a child? He's annoying, but he's harmless."

"He may be harmless, but his true self is not." "Seiten Taisei Son Goku, the Great Sage. His awakening is nearing, we can feel his power flowing stronger around you, and even now your own aura is being tainted with his."

"I'm able to control him."

"You won't be for long." "That is correct, his power when fully released is too strong, even for one who holds both the sutra's of Evilness and Holiness."

"You've got to be kidding me. How much stronger is the little monkey going to get?"

"We do not know, but his true form could topple heaven if he so desired. The older he gets the more powerful he will become and the less able you will be able to control him." "Especially if you get any closer than you are now."

"What do you mean?"

"You have always been his central point of reference, something of a father figure to him, but these changes over the last few years, friendship and love, these emotions cloud your judgment. If this continues, you will only have two options: kill him or be killed by him."

Sanzo just sat there staring at the Sanbutsushin, "No."

"Genjo San..."

"No."

Sanzo stood and turned on his heel, glancing back over his shoulder he tapped out a cigarette and lightly pressed it to his lips, "That stupid ape will never go against me. _Ever_. He doesn't know how."

Turning, he stalked out of the temple and down the mountainside.

***

Sanzo turned over onto his side and lay looking at Goku. When he was sleeping like this, small snores and mumbling about food, it was hard to take the three heads seriously.

"Yeah right, like he'd ever try and kill me. Maybe if I stopped feeding him or something." He murmured and reached out a delicate hand, gently brushing the auburn strands away from his eyes.

"Just stay by my side, even a bakasaru like you can do that, can't you?" Sanzo whispered into the fading afternoon light. Curling in closer to the smaller body, he didn't shrug off the touch as strong fingers twined in his, the muggy afternoon heat settling over them like a warm blanket.

***

Ch. 3-

The yelling woke me up. First thing in the fucking morning and those fucking pricks, "Didn't you take a fucking vow of silence or something!"

My head is throbbing as I stumble out into the hall, half dressed and in desperate need of coffee and a smoke, stupid old man and his bad habits, who the hell makes a monk smoke?! "What the hell is it now?!"

"Sanzo-sama, Sanzo-sama!!" I think I know my own name, thank you, who else would you be screeching for?

"It's your charge!" head's up with that one, after this many years they still don't say his name, pricks.

"Oh, fucking fabulous..."grinding my teeth together I kneel by his side and gently reach out to touch his forhead. I knew something was up, he'd stopped eating, didn't think I'd noticed, *Tsk* "Moron."

"You five, carry him into my room." Their scared to touch him, but there's no way I'm breaking my back for a moron that goes and gets himself sick. I don't even have to say anything, there's a certain look I've perfected for dealing with stubbornness, of course it doesn't work on three specific hard-headed asses, well, two asses and one monkey, but it works just fine on annoying wanna-be monks. See? Works just fine.

I can't help but smile, just a tad, a small twitch of the lips, as they try and pick him up and ah, now they're getting it, freaking thing's a goddamn boulder when he's unconscious. He's not wearing the chains he had when I found him. _Mo~r~ons!_ Great, now even my brain's starting to sound like him.

I gotta get out of here before I go batty. "You two, bring water and call for Hakkai, we don't know what'll happen if that fever gets too high." Smart-asses, think I didn't notice the smirks at not being called to help carry him? I'll run you through the ringer for that one. Humble monks my ass.

They finally have him up on the bed, _my bed_, stupid chimp. As they scamper away I prod him with my foot, taking the time to sit back and lean out the window and take a drag. It looks like it'll be a two pack day; I can already feel my blood pressure raising.

Glancing at the door, closed, good, "Bakasaru...I told you, you're not allowed to leave me." Leaning over, the briefest of contacts, just a glancing touch, maybe a little bit harder, not like he's awake or anything. I stop hard, noses almost touching and blink, when did this start? When did I not only _allow_ contact, but start to crave it?

I refused to have the other monks touch me, went out of way to beat that idiot cockroach senseless when he dared to drape his arm over my shoulders, Hakkai's the only one, but only when he was healing, even those two little brats shied away from me, mostly. So why? Why is it _he's_ allowed when no one else is?

Sitting back I look over the garden, is this what you meant master? When you heard me calling out to you, is this what you meant by we were family? You were the only one back then I let touch me as well, a gentle pat on the head, hand on the shoulder, nothing much, never anything too deep, but it was enough to show you cared, that you worried about my well being.

_Shit_. Fine. Fine! I give up, I know the only reason he's allowed is because it's him. No one else, but him. "Fuck it all."

I don't even notice when the water's set inside the room, I'm too busy leaning over him, holding him and telling him if he even dares to die on me I'll kick his ass all the way back to India.

"Bakasaru..."

***

Ch. 4-

There's a burning heat running down his throat, clawed fingers pawing at the sensation, ripping flesh before he notices it, and then it's a vain attempt to stop the ocean, like a finger in a dam.

"Sa..n..zo..." his mouth's open and he's panting heavily, like it hurts to breathe and then he's glaring up through sweat matted mousy hair with slitted golden cat's eyes and Sanzo's sucking in his breath, steeling himself for the worst, completely knocked off his feet when those eyes only blink at him trying to focus and his name comes out in a raspy whisper, torn from dry lips like a prayer to the gods.

"Seiten Taisei Son Goku."

"San...zo..."

"Why are you awake?"

"The fever. It's the beginning." A ragged breath follows the cryptic remark and he's closing the distance between them, creeping steadily closer until those clawed hands are clasping his and the eyes are burning orbs in the darkness of the night.

"The...Night Goblin...Tengu no Yoru...he's coming, soon, soon we will have to fight him. This body...must grow-up, the diadem...must be taken away, I must be allowed to mix with him, or we will all die. San~zo~, please, you must...trust us...you must...or we will both die...everything...will end in darkness..." Goku's slight body is shaking, hemorrhaging as his eyes slip backwards into his skull and the limp body rolls his head, unable to support its own weight.

Sanzo reached out and grasped the young man to his chest, calling out Goku's name, rocking him back and forth as the darkness descended on them both. Anger and frustration boiling over as he fingered the golden diadem still tangled in his hair. _The Three Aspects were right then, at least to some extent. Shit._

"So what do we do now, Saru? What the hell am I supposed to do now?"

***

Sanzo had dark smudges under his eyes and the foulest temper Hakkai had ever been witness to when he arrived late the following afternoon.

"Well, it _is_ a three day journey that I managed in less than two, Sanzo." His voice was reproving as he followed the sullen monk back to his room to check on Goku.

Kneeling by the edge of the bed he carefully wiped the damp hair back with his hand and frowned.

"Sanzo, has anything odd happened during this sickness?"

"Only if you count his other side showing up last night." He tapped a cigarette out roughly, agitation souring the words as they dispersed like venom into the small room.

"I thought so. What did he do?"

"He came to talk."

"What?"

"Like I said..." Sanzo pushed off from the doorframe and wandered to the edge of the bed, looking down at Goku's pinched face, a fevered flush high up on his cheeks, "...fucker came to talk."

"About what exactly?" Hakkai repetitively dipped the small cloth into the small bowl of water, rung it, flipped it open, and finally applied the cloth to Goku's stomach. Sanzo's eyes following the fluid movements as if it were a ballet set out for him alone.

"End of the world shit as usual. What the hell did I do to deserve all this?" running his gloved hand through the glimmering blonde hair he turned away from the disturbingly erotic scene and stared out the window. He would _not_ let his body or mind start to think that way.

"Well, if it were anyone other than Goku, with a fever this high, I wouldn't have much faith that he'd come back." Sanzo swung around, grabbing Hakkai's shirt collar and wrenching the man forward with deadly intent.

Hands up, Hakkai slipped into his pacifist look, "As I said if this were anyone _other_ than Goku. Luckily, his body can take a lot, but if you'll look here..." he waited patiently for Sanzo to release him, a flick of his wrist and a small *tsk* followed by soft footfalls telling him the ornery monk was doing exactly what he wanted.

Leaning over he gently brushed Goku's bangs away from the edge of the diadem, "You see the cracks? I think the fever is the flow of demon power leaking out and over his skin. He's trying to incorporate it into his body, but it's hard."

He glanced over his shoulder and sighed, "Think about it like he's going through puberty. All this power is raging within him and he's mentally trying to take a cold shower, to help bring everything back into balance."

Sanzo nodded and met his eyes, "So what do we do about it?"

Stretching, the healer shrugged nonchalantly, "I don't think there is anything we can do for him. his powers are too strong for me to interfere with, and taking the diadem off entirely might break him. He's not in any danger at the moment, but I think it'll only get worse. Have you talked to the Sanbutsushin yet?"

A short bitter bark of laughter ripped through him, "Hypocritical pricks told me to kill him."

Hakkai looked shocked, "What?! Are they serious?"

"Of course they're serious; their answer to anything that even smells off is to kill it."

"But this is Goku we're talking about!"

Hakkai drew back like he'd been bitten, Sanzo had several versions of his 'annoyed' face, but he'd never seen such a dark look about the man before. Dipping his head slightly he glanced back at the sleeping Goku and shuddered. The powerful aura he'd felt when he came in wasn't just the young man laying there helplessly, but the man standing over him, whose hands were clenched so tight as to draw blood from his palms.

"I'll stay the night then, just to keep an eye on him."

"No."

"Sanzo?"

"No. I don't want you mixed up in this Hakkai. Go home, back to your family. I'll take care of mine."

The green-eyed healer opened and shut his mouth, brain working on overdrive, "Very well. Replace the compresses whenever they get too dry and try to keep him warm. I leave it to you then."

With that Hakkai slipped out of the room like dissipating smoke, leaving Sanzo to fall heavily to his knees, eyes glued to the pale face. "Puberty, huh? What a load of shit." His voice was strained and hoarse, yes bloodshot and stinging; all he wanted was to sleep.

_Sleep._ The words were mumbled in his mind, a slight twitch that could be a squeeze if he shut his eyes and gave in to the part of him that was desperate for this to be over with.

_Sleep._ A deeper voice this time and he recognized it as the other Goku, the one that made something inside of him quiver in response.

He snapped back at the voices, _You first._ One voice in his head was enough, thank you very much, he didn't need another one.

A gentle rumbling in stereo followed him into the darkness.

***

Ch. 5-

The following week must have been the precursor to the Apocalypse. Ask anyone in the temple or visiting and they'd say the Buddha had come down from Heaven and boy was he pissed! Sanzo stomped around the temple, eyes scowling, his 'evil fan from hell', as it had been nicknamed, snapping out at the slightest sound or movement. Towards the end the entire wing his room was in became a ghost town, a no-man's-land, a demilitarized zone where a fuming, short-tempered, irritable demon in the form of a man stalked the battlements just waiting to attack.

Basically, Sanzo was in a bad mood.

Not sleeping or eating, surviving on cigarettes and anger alone, he was a wreck. He'd pace back and forth during the day, throw papers around his office, kick random, innocent chairs, and then collapse back by Goku's side as night slipped across the horizon. He was starting to think he was becoming two separate people, the daytime Sanzo and the nighttime one.

Taking his usual spot on the ground by Goku's shoulder he propped his elbow on the lip of the bed and pushed his hair back out of his eyes. "Night Goblin...what the hell are you talking about, stupid?" he reached out with his free hand and brushed back the strands of Goku's hair that constantly fell across the diadem.

"Three more." Fingering the small cracks he did a mental check; that made twelve altogether. If they kept up this pace, the limiter would snap by midweek. He'd asked the Sanbutsushin what to do if it broke, they said to kill him before it did, and he'd flicked them off and stalked out. He sighed inwardly, at this rate he'd come back as a bug in his next life.

"Sa..n..zo..." his head snapped up, it was soft, so terribly soft, but...

"San...zo..." crawling to his knees he crouched over the supine form and smiled, actually smiled, he didn't know he could still do that.

"Goku?"

"Your...face..is...wet..w..hy? Sanzo?" his voice cracked and broke, he tried again and then gave up; it didn't matter really.

Sanzo chocked back a rough gasp and reached down hesitantly, running tentative fingers across brow and cheek, over cracked lips. Soft golden eyes peered up at him, a strength and subtle knowledge behind them he didn't remember seeing before.

"Goku..." Sanzo gave in to the voice in his head, not Goku's, but the other one, the one that had been clawing it's way to the surface of his thoughts over the past seven-day, the one that had been feeding his anger and short temper, the one that was thinking, not his normal 'I'll kill you' thoughts, but of how he really could physically destroy some of the ambling, annoying monks wandering the halls.

_Shut up. Shutupshutupshutup!_ He stilled the voice by pressing his lips against Goku's, the bright amber eyes going wide with shock, then soft, melting at the contact and not caring why he had done it, just that he had.

Sanzo sighed into his mouth, it was like raw silk, strong, smooth, but still soft and yielding, he'd never felt anything like it before. He almost wanted to drown in it and wondered briefly if that was possible, to drown in a kiss. _Nonononononono!!!_ This was wrong, he should _not_ be doing this, not him, and not to Goku of all people.

Pulling back roughly he shied away from the hurt look and questioning eyes that followed him.

"You still have a fever, go back to bed."

"You're lying. I'm not sick and I never was."

Sanzo refused to look at him as he sat on the edge of the bed and wiped one black clad hand across his mouth, flush running high in him as he attempted to stomp down the raising heat in his body.

"If you weren't sick what do you call that?" his eyes flashed as he jerkily prodded the cracked diadem on his forehead.

Goku crossed his eyes trying to see his own forehead and then smiling rakishly, ran a hand across the metal, a frown of concentration furrowing his brow as he traced several long cracks.

"Hmmm...guess he was right then."

"Who?"

"My other self."

"You say that like it's an everyday occurrence!"

Goku bit down on his thumb and chewed lightly; cocking his head to the side he looked up at Sanzo and beamed, "Yeah. I guess so!"

"You..." Now it was Sanzo's temperature that was up!

Crawling across the bed, shirt hanging open as the dried washcloth fell limply to the covers, forgotten in the moment, Goku rested against Sanzo's back. His anger forgotten in an instant.

"Hey, Sanzo..."

"What?"

"When I was sleeping, you took care of me?"

"So what?" he ground out.

"Hey...I had a dream."

"What?"

"Yeah, it wasn't like the last one though, this one was scary."

Sanzo pushed back and let his arms hang loosely by his sides.

"It was just a dream though, right?"

"I don't know. It felt real somehow. I could still hear you, both of you, but there was another voice, it kinda sounded like you, but all scary and dark like. I didn't like it at all."

"Stupid. Dreams can't hurt you."

"Hey, Sanzo?"

"What now?"

"Can we try that again?"

Sanzo choked on invisible tea, "I...I don't know what you're talking about. Go back to bed."

"Unh-unh, don't wanna."

"Why?"

"Because it's cold by myself."

"Fine."

"What?"

"Fine, just for tonight though, you might still have a fever and Hakkai told me to keep you warm."

Goku's face split into the most dazzling smile he'd ever seen and it took all his willpower not to slam his tongue down his throat at the sight.

As Goku settled himself in against him, curling up like a cat by the fire he drew lazy lines down his arm, lightly brushing the chestnut hair back from his eyes.

"Hey, Sanzo?"

He breathed out; _I have to teach him a new line or something_. "Yes?"

Blunt fingernails slipped cautiously over the tight line of his stomach.

"I really wanna do that thing you were doing before. Please?"

He stopped breathing, watching as Goku blinked rapidly several times and then remembered breathing was good, that you needed to breathe, or things like death happened and that wasn't so much fun.

Goku smiled softly and leaned in, pulling himself part-way across Sanzo's chest as he murmured happily, "Like this?" and pressed his lips against the older man's.

The rest of the night was a blur. After the initial shock wore off Sanzo had instantly flipped the young man and hungrily captured his mouth, pressing his entire length against the small compact body and groaning into his mouth as groins collided and flesh was trapped between their owners.

He'd ran hands and mouth everywhere then, letting the voice in his head run rampant with his body, moving arms and legs at will, stilling the panting form with scorching kisses and then everything tore and shredded around them, finally closer and warmer than they'd ever been apart.

After that it was as if a deep thumping drum was calling out for them from the wilderness, flesh, skin, pulses, blood, heartbeats and breath, everything was in tune with the beat and he could feel it pounding through his very soul, letting something primal be ripped from his throat.

As light enveloped them his first thought was _that was fucking amazing_, the next thought was _oh shit_. _Fuckfuckfuck!_ Holding Goku's arms over his head had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now...he snarled, wait, why would he snarl at Goku? But this wasn't Goku, not completely.

"Shit."

A smile full of fangs and fierce eyes glittered back at him before he was pulled forward and those sharp teeth sank effortlessly into the soft skin of his neck; a long tongue snapping out to draw a hot, moist line across the tiny pinpricks, lapping at the tiny beads of blood welling up from them.

"San...zo..." his eyes snapped open. That was Goku's voice, just barely, just the familiarity in it, everything else was the Sage, but fuck the sound reverberated through him, drew him in.

There was a growl bubbling up within the body holding him as it suddenly arched its back and he could _feel_ the shiver run down it. As he watched, Goku rolled his head in an exaggerated circle, the bones popping creepily, he then rolled his shoulders, and Sanzo gasped as his hips did the same. All the way down to his toes, it was like a cat stretching after a long nap and he realized a bit too late that Goku had just, _fuck, did he just grow?_

"Hey, Sanzo?" a lazy amber eye looked him over, running a long clawed hand across the chaos marking on the tight skin of his abdomen.

"Goku?"

"Hmmm...maybe, maybe not. We're still working it out, but I got a great idea and he wants to try it too."

"I'm pretty sure anything you two come up with I'm not going to like much."

"Nah, I think you might, besides, it'll be easier this way." He smiled up at Sanzo and dragged him down into the mattress while surging past him, digging one clawed hand into his shoulder, the other gripping his hip almost painfully while he slipped behind him, the feel of silky skin slipping over his sending small trembles of sensation running across his body.

"See..." the seductive purr in his ear startled him, "I told you, you'd like it, thanks to your lack of control I was able to come out sooner than expected, maybe I can return the favor, maybe we can bring out whatever it is you've been repressing for so many years."

A hot lick up his neck had him groaning, the sharp nibble on his ear had the blood pooling in his groin and then there was pressure, blinding hot intense pressure that made him scream Goku's name and thrash wildly beneath him as he was pounded into the hard mattress, a strong hand wrapped around burning flesh, bringing him to the breaking point over and over again.

As Goku followed him into the light his eyes rolled back slightly and there in the monochrome shades of his vision he saw the moon, a dark, lifeless void in the sky, and he fell completely into its dark embrace. Demented laughter following behind him.

***

Ch. 6-

Waking up sucked. He was sore and angry and dammit all if that bastard wasn't sitting there at the edge of their bed looking all smug and shit.

"You awake yet?"

He just glared at the demon.

"I'm still getting use to this form, my brains still fuzzy, sometimes it's him, sometimes it's me. He said it'll take a while to completely integrate our personalities."

Sanzo's eyes went wide at the word choice, "'Integrate'? Who are you, Hakkai?"

Goku looked at him puzzled for a minute, "Who?"

Now Sanzo did sit up, wincing as his back protested the sudden movement, "Hakkai, you know, green bastard that's shagging the cockroach? Healer? Vine covered demonic s.o.b. that has an issue with kitchen knives?"

"Ah! The glasses guy!" he dropped his fist into his open hand and grinned like Goku, all the while sounding like the Sage.

"Fucking hell."

"Sanzo, I wanted to talk to you actually."

"What about?"

Goku just pointed. Looking down at the bare arm Goku was pointing at, he stifled a cry. The entire appendage had gone a smoky grey color, only the nails were still white.

"What the hell!" throwing the covers back, he sighed, at least nothing else was black.

"Why didn't you say anything earlier!?" he stomped from the bed and gathered up his clothes, gritting his teeth at the onslaught of pain running through him.

"Oh, you probably shouldn't do anything before taking a hot shower; your muscles will tense up."

"Shut up you Bakasaru! How long were you going to wait before pointing this out anyways?"

Goku's eyes narrowed and Sanzo took a deep breath; he'd forgotten this wasn't only Goku he was talking to.

"He." _Shit_. "He tried to tell you when we noticed it last night. You had stopped moving and were staring at the new moon after we had climaxed." Sanzo flinched at the cold detachment that sluiced over him.

The Sage slipped from his perch on the edge of the bed frame, _holy shit, had he been hanging on with his claws alone for the entire time?_ Sanzo backed up warily. The Sage reached down and lightly wrapped two strong fingers around his wrist, raising the offending appendage between them.

He sniffed lightly and then stared deeply into Sanzo's eyes. "Come, we must speak to the Sanbutsushin now."

"What? Why?" he yanked hard, trying to pull his arm back when a feral growl slipped out of his mouth, the Sage's eyes narrowed as he dropped the arm, disgust dripping out of his mouth.

"Never mind, it's too late now."

Sanzo was about to ask what he meant when a searing pain ripped up his arm and across his chest, igniting every nerve end. In his agony he screamed, a sound ripped from the deepest pits of hell. Clutching his head in his hands he fell to his knees in pain.

Before his eyes slipped closed he saw the bare feet of the Sage walking towards him, he thought he saw tears hitting the floor, no, never mind, it didn't matter, nothing mattered now. All he could see was the darkness, all he could feel was the cold, and all he could hear was that manic laughter filling his head, and for a moment he thought, _oh, that's my voice, isn't it_? It comforted him slightly to hear a low voice above him whisper sadly, "Yes". At least he wasn't crazy then. That's good.

***

Ch. 7-

It was raining when he came to again. What an odd sensation, he was certain that it was cold, the rain almost icy as it pelted against his skin, but he couldn't feel it. No, that's not right. He could feel it, he just didn't care.

A snarl escaped his lips as he looked around the room. The tile floor was smooth, cool to the touch, the normal sunshine that would flit in through the open doorways were dark and heavy with the freezing rain. He smiled, liking the sodden darkness and the dripping of water polluting this holy place.

"Genjo Sanzo." The voice boomed through the room, screaming he tried to cover his ears, only to find that he couldn't move and glared up at the three glowing heads.

"No, you are no longer the Genjo Sanzo that serves this temple."

"Foul beast, why have you let him live?"

"You call me that again, _my lords_, and I will show you just how much of a beast I can be." A snarl from his left caused him to strain against his restraints, the blood lust curling up into his chest.

"See, now you've angered him." the faint padding of bare feet came closer.

The Sage hunched down, looking at him with something between pity and sadness and anger mixed on his face.

"He's not completely gone yet."

"He is tainted; he cannot be allowed to live."

"According to you lot everyone down here is 'tainted,' you plan on wiping us all out?"

_Goku_. His brain, or heart, something in his body twanged in recognition of the voice; the flowing aura that went back and forth between scalding hot and comfortable warmth.

"This man will destroy us all thanks to you."

"Hey now," Standing, the Goku/Sage walked back towards the heads, out of his line of sight, but he could still hear, "I was going to come out one way or another, just be happy the boy is stronger than he looks and we're almost done melding."

"You are an abomination that should never have been born. You were cast out from heaven twice for your sins!"

"Yeah, and now here you are looking to me to save your asses. Can't take care of one of your own so you make the 'tainted-one' fix the mess you've caused. What I can't figure out is why you locked him up down here in a human body instead of keeping up there where you could watch him?"

"He is _Darkness_." It was almost a hiss the way she said it.

"Daikokuten was banished from Heaven because of what he is. 'The Great Black One,' he is the absolute reality of man, the all encompassing and all consuming nature of the new moon."

"Nirguna." He murmured.

"Correct, we cannot have someone whose sole purpose is to destroy and restart the world in Heaven, he could be used for personal gains."

"Sounds like you shipped him off to keep him out of your own political messes. But now you've got him down here and in possession of both the sutras of Holiness and Evilness. So my lords," he hopped up on the edge of a banister and smiled, "What are you going to do about him? Those restraints won't hold long you know. This is just the surface of his powers and it looks like he's in a grumpy mood as well. Sanzo never was much of a morning person and he hasn't had a smoke in hours, let alone coffee."

"You must kill him."

Goku coughed, "Excuse me?" eyes narrowing to slits he stood, the force of his chi rippling across the floor in visible waves.

"Now wait a minute. I may be charged with protecting both realms, but I will not kill that man! And as much as part of me cringes at saying it, _you can't make me_." He stared at the Three Aspects defiantly, the part that was still a petulant child pouting inwardly.

"You don't have a choice Sage. If you are to be allowed to live, then he must die."

"Screw you." Their shocked faces reminded him who they were and he mentally shut Goku's mouth. "Pardon, but that's not your decision, if you could kill him yourself you would have, but you can't 'dirty' your own hands in this matter, so you're trying to get me to do it. Sorry, but unless he threatens this world I'm just going to sit back and watch."

The three looked at each other, "Fine. If he threatens this world or the Upper World..."

His voice became cold and detached, "Then _we_ will stop him."

With that he turned on his heel and grabbing Sanzo's restraints roughly, stomped out into the rain.

***

Leaving the Temple of the Raising Sun, he fumed, _how dare they try and get him to kill Sanzo?!_ If there was anyone he wanted to kill right now it was those three hypocritical bastards.

"Sanzo, if you're in there, you need to fight this. If you can bring the human side back, they will let you live, but this..." he set the semi-mad monk atop a crumbling wall and kneeled in the rain and mud, "you cannot stay this way, it is breaking him to watch you like this, and at this rate he really will lose his mind."

He took a chance then and gently kissed the blonde man, hissing as he pulled back, blood trickling down his chin. "Then that's it. You are already gone, aren't you?"

Sanzo, no Daikokuten, he needed to remember, this was no longer the man he loved, this was the Lord of Darkness and he needed to treat the situation as such. The air crackled as the restraints shattered, splinters of light bursting against the murky sky. He stepped back as the full power of the fallen God washed over everything for a mile. Trees twisted, buildings crumbled, the entire city of Chang'An was effected in some way.

He'd dispersed, blocked, or absorbed much of the power, but not all. Looking at his redden hands he realized he might actually be out powered this time. The thought both shocked and terrified him. Then a brash voice screamed in his head making him smile.

"Well then, it looks like Goku thinks we need to hit you with a large paper fan, something about payback for all the times he's been hit. He's rather serious about it you know?"

*Ungh!* he grunted as the first wave of power spiraled out from Sanzo's hands, hitting him hard. Clawed feet dug into the soft earth as he was pushed back slightly.

"Well, that wasn't very hospitable of you. If you want to play it this way, then show me your true form first, we should be on equal footing if we are to dance like this." Sweeping out an arm he watched warily as Daikokuten raised his hand toward the heavens.

There was something eerie about the way his one good arm was raised, and then he saw the faint outline, the evolved staff of pure silver that twisted out from his palm, the four loops jangling together melodically as he swept it down, his robes shifting like the moonlight until he was enshrouded in black flowing cloth, a single sheet of tattered white draped across his arm and shoulder, held on by several gilded clasps and buckles.

_Shit_. Alright, this time he agreed with Goku, they were in serious trouble here. But he had a duty, even if everyone else dismissed him, he must still stop this threat. Daikokuten was a god, he was not, but he was close. _We're fine, just don't let him touch us, we have to get close, or he'll kick our asses with his long-range attacks. This is still Sanzo after all, he hates getting his hands dirty and that's something we're good at!_

He smiled, he was starting to like this side of his other self, the brash unflinching confidence that refused to believe they'd be beaten. But he was slightly outnumbered here, they still weren't completely whole, and as long as their minds stayed fractured, so would their power. _Just go for it, leave the fighting to me and just try to get around him, if we can pin his arms we might have a chance to talk him down. _

'I don't think that will work anymore, the Sanzo you knew is no longer, this man is now a God, and a very powerful one at that.'

_Nah. I can still smell him, even under all that darkness._

'All I can smell is the darkness; he is like the nightshade flower, full of passion and suffering, an angel of destruction, harbinger of closure and enlightenment.'

_I guess. You're the enlightened one, all I know is that I can still smell Marlboro's and steel dust, you know, __Sanzo__; and if I can still smell him, he should still be able to hear us, even if it is just a whisper on the wind, we have to reach him._

'Yes, he cannot be allowed to destroy the world. So young one, should we cast our burdens' down and shuck off these mortal coils for the sake of the world?'

_Only if those are things we can beat him senseless with._

Flexing his claws he smiled, 'Very well then, let us finish this.'

An unholy roar sprung forth from his mouth as he raced forward, claws struck metal and cloth, but mostly air. He was fast, most couldn't track him, but Daikokuten was always just beyond his reach. Power rippled across the land, the earth was torn and flung wide and far, between the heaving ground and mind numbing aerial acrobatics that left him dizzy and breathless he fought on.

He fought for his friends and family, Gojyo and Hakkai, Kai and Mao; he fought for once enemies, Koujagi's team; he fought for all the people he'd met along the way; he fought for all those he hadn't been able to save; for those that didn't know he was fighting; but mostly he fought for himself, for his love and for the man who was the sun and moon to him.

***

Ch. 8

Somewhere in the darkness Sanzo slept. His slumber was not calm or warm, he felt agitated, like someone kept calling to him, trying to force him to wake up before he had to. It was annoying. He felt the flare up of murderous rage and calmly wondered why? Why was he sleeping, why was he angry, why was someone screaming in his head, and why was there another voice that drifted in, a faint smell like sun warmed earth lightly filling his nose?

_Goku._

He felt the coil of uncertainty tightening in his gut. The wrenching pull of something horribly wrong and yet not quite completed, a test he was failing, but could possibly squeak by with a passing grade on if he could just find the right answer.

_Goku._

His answer was out there. Out in the rain he could now feel dripping into his solitude. This dark and soundless abyss where thought and feeling fled, it had left his body and soul drifting aimlessly, but no more. Cracks began to fracture the surface, a blinding whiteness that slipped in, as if on the other side of this self-made prison someone had locked up the sun.

_Goku._

He'd have to break down these walls, search for the sun and then he remembered. He remembered another prison, a hand reaching out to him through the darkness, but now he was the one trapped, his hand reaching up, nails clawing up to the surface. He had to find it again, if but for a moment. Those smiling eyes that could be deadly or loving, the lust filled ones only he was allowed to see. He had to make it for the both of them.

_Goku._

When he finally managed to make it, he noticed the air was thick with blood and power, not the majority of which was his own. Seiten Taisei was wounded, several horribly deep gashes across his chest, like claw marks. Glancing down at his hands, the deep crimson glared up at him and he gasped. They were soiled with his blood and their unspoken hopes-dreams left to fall like his unshed tears-they became ash in his mouth.

_Goku._

As the rain lashed his skin violently, the Heaven's raging their fury on the Lower World, Seiten Taisei hurled himself at the God, leaping over backwards at the last second to land behind him, Sanzo's control slipped slightly as strong hands gripped his shoulders in a crushing move. He smiled softly, fighting the other entity in his mind with every last ounce of his power, gasping wetly as Goku plunged his hand through his back. There was sky and flashing lightning, then there was the ground, a golden, clawed hand holding a beating red heart. His heart, he'd finally managed to give Goku his heart.

"Go...ku..." blood gurgled down his chin as he fell bonelessly.

His last thought that he never wanted to see those haunted eyes staring back at him, the ghost of his self-doubt and fears, because he knew that he'd just shattered that fragile heart with his deceptions. He never wanted to see those golden tears as they fell hotly across his neck and back, an ear-splitting cry gouged out of a horribly damaged heart and soul. He didn't want to see the one he loved break like this.

He didn't.

***

Ch. 9

The ground was shaking. He couldn't think, all he felt was the hot pulse of a dying heart, his, Sanzo's, it didn't matter anymore, if all he would ever see again was the dark moon and Sanzo's blood staining his skin leaking in and driving him mad...he'd rather die right there.

The drum of rain against his skull was deafening, the voice calling out to him, the steady, secure, sane part of him fighting back against the other, the one that wanted nothing more than to rip out his own throat.

_SANZO!!!_

Stop, you must not go there!

_Get the hell away from me!_

No! You must stop; we have to get past this!

_You get past it, he's dead! As in never coming back and I just killed him! Where's the gun? Where's his __**fucking**__ gun? I'll put a stop to this right now!_

Goku! Son Goku! Listen to yourself! He did this! He stopped, did you not hear him? He called out for you! He wants this to end!

_I'll make it end!!_

No! This is not the way to fix this problem.

_Then what is? What the hell do I do now?!_

Come to me.

_What?!_

Come here. You must come to me; you cannot let this anger eat away your soul. He would not have wanted that.

_Screw you! I'm not going anywhere!_

If you keep on this path you will disappear, you will be forever locked in that cave he brought us out from. No sun, no moon, no stars, only darkness and despair!

_...._

Please. He stopped knowing what would happen. He did this to save you. You must come to me.

_I...I don't wanna. San..zo..._

I know. I know.

There was a blinding flash as the night peeled back, the stars suddenly drowned out by the twisting of clouds and wind. Curling in upon himself, bloody hand curled into hair, he screamed violently, eyes snapped open, pupils dilating open and closed while his entire brian was wiped clean and rewritten, a computer with the restart button hit. The sky swirled and flickered in and out, his vision following the jerky movements of time and space and finally he understood, he understood everything, was witness to everything, from the beginning to the end.

He was whole.

***

"So, chibi-saru, you all grown up now?"

He swirled at the sound, crouching protectively over Sanzo's body.

"My, my. Still part beast then are you?"

Straightening, he glanced impassively at the shadowy form, already knowing who it was that stood before him.

"Kanzeon Bosatsu, the Merciful Goddess. Your will has been fulfilled, why do you stand before us."

"'Us'?"

"We are one, we are all."

"Guardian and protector. Lord of the Lower World."

"...."

"What name do you go by then?"

"Goku. Son Goku."

"hmm...You would keep his name?"

"It is our name. We are one. We are Son Goku. You rule in the Upper World, why do you come here?"

Looking past the demon, she glanced at Sanzo's crumpled body.

"You really did it then."

"He allowed us to win. He fought bravely for the protection of all."

"I'm surprised you're so calm about his death. It doesn't pain you at all?"

"We have seen."

"'Seen?'"

"That this is not the end. He is a God, we are not. You have come to tell us something we already know."

"Well it's no fun if I can't play a bit, now is it?"

"Playing is not required to be a God."

"Look here you! Being a God _demands_ playing! Do you have any idea how _fucking_ boring it is up there?! I helped send you boys down here so you could live, but also so I would have something to do!"

"We know. You used us, you also allowed him to die, and for us to live. We are not able to bring those two ideas together; they do not make logical sense."

"They aren't supposed to make sense! I wanted you all to live! Living means taking the good with the bad! I allowed you all to follow your hearts, something Heaven wouldn't have. So what are you going to do? Will you follow orders until someone stronger manages to kill you or are you going to start living?!"

"...."

The Goddess tapped her foot impatiently, waiting while something behind the dead eyes fluttered; the shadows peeling back to allow the light of the living back in. She smiled; it was like sunbeams through the clouds that look.

"So, you better now?"

"We are still ourselves, _Aunty_."

"Oh, that one's gonna cost you kiddo." But her smile was bright as she walked over to the now kneeling Son Goku.

"You know what you can do. He's gone, but being a God has certain perks."

"Yes. We will travel. Eventually he will be given back to us. Another life that we can live together; without bars this time."

"He was a smartasses prick who liked to annoy me, but he was also my nephew once, and he's lucky to have found you a second time, I'm sure you will find him for a third. Where will you start?"

Goku gently brushed back the soft hairs from Sanzo's forehead, his fingers tingling as his body started to glow, slowly dissolving into twinkling light that floated up towards the Heavens.

"Where else?"

Raising he turn and looked out over the horizon, storm clouds dissipating, the warm light filtering through their tattered remains as he pointed.

"I'll go West."

She smiled and reached up, lightly stroking his cheek and gently placed a kiss on it.

"You know he was always a stubborn one, it might take a while."

"I will walk the Earth and back again until he is reborn. He is mine. My only Sun."

And with that he walked off. The sounds of life starting to flow around him like time.

Sighing softly she blew a kiss after them and glanced up, taking herself home.

***

She'd spend the next few years watching down on them from her chair by the pool. And as the lotuses opened to reveal a glorious sunrise in the Lower World, a crystal lake and emerald canopy, the knobby slate roots of the Bodi tree reaching up from the earth, she smiled. There was a small hand hand reaching out, shocking golden hair and large violet eyes staring as they were passed from weathered to ageless skin, the old woman placing the red chakra on his forehead with chalky umber powder.

There was no fear as that small hand took the larger clawed one. As they set out she could hear the small conversation, where are we going? A very long way. And the resulting quip about how walking would take too long, couldn't he find another way? She almost couldn't hear his mumbled comment about how some things never changed.

With a wave of her hand the water rippled out, obscuring the scene and allowing them their privacy. She'd check in on them again when he was older.

"Merciful Goddess, you look pleased."

"Yes. It looks like he finally found him."

"What name will Lord Konzen go by this time?"

"Ravi. The old lady named him Ravi."

"Ravi?"

"Apparently it means 'the sun'. I think it's perfect, a new life, a new name, and a new day for them both."

She smiled as she walked away. "Sixteen years should be long enough. I'll wait until then to go say hi." A wicked smile was stretched across her lips.

"Oh, yes, that should be plenty of time."

Fin.


	3. A Thousand Miles

Title: **A Thousand Miles**

Series: Saiyuki AU

Rating: T

AN: My own version of the end from Gojyo and Hakki's POV.

"Was he really that great, daddy?"

A thin writhing tendril of smoke flitted across the porch from the open window.

"Yes, he really was." A sad smile played across pale lips as the small red-head pressed back against the dark green linen shirt.

"Don't sugar coat things for the kids, 'Kai, he was an obnoxious brat that ate everything in sight!"

"Gojyo…please, this is Goku we're talking about, he had his reasons for everything that happened."

"Hey Dad," a chubby little hand wrested itself in leather breaches, "What about Sanzo-sama? What happened to him?"

Gojyo reached down and pulled the boy onto the window sill, lightly tapping out the cigarette under his shoe and receiving a mild look of displeasure from the green eyed demon sitting across from him.

"Hmmm…well, they were together for a while. That bakasaru had a time of it after everything was over. It was harder for him, with Sanzo not really remembering what had happened. Well, it was like that for all of us."

He glanced over at Hakkai and gave a mild shiver at the memory of Seiten Taisei Son Goku in his full demonic glory leaning over Sanzo' body, flesh hanging in mangled strips from his claws. Hakkai had tried to stop him and almost been killed for the effort, his human form wasn't strong enough, so they did the only thing they could, Gojyo released his limiters.

It was such a cruel way to end the journey; they'd stopped the resurrection of Gyumaoh, but at the cost of their lives.

***

As the very walls of Houtou Castle came tumbling around the four, over a thousand crazed yokkai surged forward. They were pinned against the crumbling walls, caught between pillars and debris that threatened to come crashing down on their very heads. They'd already sustained several dangerous wounds on their way through the maze-like building: Gojyo had a deep gash across his leg and could barely move, Hakkai had several, well, they might as well be called _holes_ across his chest, received as he was trying to shield Gojyo as he fell, and Sanzo had taken a spear through the gut; as it was, the only one not half-dead was Goku, but that didn't mean he was spared either.

The sight of Sanzo's blood leaking across the stone floor caused Goku's diadem to crack, the sound of the splintering fragments jangling to the floor was unusually loud in the vaulted resurrection chamber. Those few demons left alive after the initial onslaught backed up and scattered as the full fury and power of Seiten Taisei was let loose.

Hakkai had managed to pull himself to his feet, blood splattering unevenly to the flood and called out to him, only to have the cold golden fury of his eyes turned in his direction. As the Monkey King made a rush at them Gojyo had sent out a weak defense with his Shakujo, it did nothing but give him time to drag Hakkai back down beside him behind a half-fallen pillar.

"Gojyo! Please, you mustn't move! I don't have the energy to heal you right now; we have to stop him before he loses it completely!"

Gojyo coughed harshly, the wet gurgling sound speaking louder than anything else the healer might say.

"'Kai, 'Kai," he pulled the brown-haired man down to him, close enough to press a soft kiss to the side of his mouth and whispered, "Sorry, 'Kai, can't leave things like this, it's the only way, don't be mad at me. When this is all over, we'll have that coffee house you wanted, somewhere quiet, alright? So don't die, please, just don't…"

Hakkai just watched in horror as the red-haired half-demon's head slumped lifelessly to his shoulder, the light tinkling of silver cuffs falling unheeded from his bloody hand and scattering across the floor.

His lithe frame folded in upon himself as the seizure caused his body to tremble uncontrollably. It had been a long time since Hakkai had let loose his demonic form and this was not one of those born from pleasure but of absolute despair. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, looking at the pale body wrapped around his feet, the red staining everything and suddenly he couldn't tell who he was looking at, Gojyo or Kanan. In his mind they were close, so very close, friends and lovers and _family,_ and the pain and memories and feelings mixed and warped and twisted until they were one and the same and all he could feel was the cold anger welling up within him, sending the vines shaking in his rage.

He'd turned then. Slowly felt his human consciousness slipping and reverting to the beast that always lay just beneath the surface. As he came around the pillar he let instincts take control, leading him over broken stones and computers, around the unholy mixture of science and religion and magic and then he was there, crouching above the target that had sent Gojyo to his end…Goku.

Part of him remembered the word _friend_, but as he watched the golden demon lick Sanzo's blood from his claws there was a louder part that screamed for vengeance.

He was bounding down the crumbled stones before he could think, his Qi glowing in his hands, pulsing with his anger, tinged a light rose with the blood of his beloved and then there was a shattering white light and he was crouching, Sanzo's gun in his hand, cocked and loaded, pointed straight on as Goku pounded through the rock-dust mist, claws outstretched, running full tilt towards Hakkai, the bloodlust easy to read in his face.

And then there was nothing.

Gojyo's eyes faded to a dull crimson, breathing out wetly, "Hak..kai…" as both green and gold fell to the floor. An ear-splitting scream punctuating the darkness.

That was the last thing he remembered before waking up back in their room at the inn. He wasn't sure sometimes if the whole thing hadn't been a dream or not. He never did figure out who had screamed, or how they were still alive. Enough quiet talks with Hakkai over the following weeks had proven he wasn't crazy, that it all _did_ happen, but none of them knew how or why they were still alive.

Personally, he thought that stupid monkey knew; he was too quiet in the following days, to willing to follow orders and do whatever Sanzo said without question. And he never complained about being hungry--that was the biggest tipoff in his mind.

Hakkai had told him to drop it, that there was something going on between Goku and the monk and that he shouldn't get involved, and for once he had listened. They split up shortly afterwards. Sanzo had started back for Chang'an with Goku on his heels; the pair never once looked back.

They heard a few years later that Sanzo had died and Goku had disappeared, but the monks refused to let them see the body or tell them what had happened, but Hakkai seemed to think it might have been suicide. The trip had made them all look at things they didn't want to deal with.

"What about you 'Kai? What did it make you look at?" he had asked one night.

Hakkai had pushed in closer, cushioning his head on Gojyo's shoulder and breathing deeply of the warm vanilla scent that seemed to follow the red-head wherever he went.

"Sometimes, the past obscures the present; sometimes it makes the _now_ even clearer. When you released my demon side everything seemed to overlay each other. The past and present, I couldn't tell what was real anymore. At the end, I heard you call my name and everything snapped back into high definition for one brief second." He gently drew sharp claws across the other's chest.

"It made me see myself and what was really important to me."

Gojyo made a soft sound in the back of his throat: understanding, acceptance, love; it was all conveyed with that tiny sound that seemed to fill Hakkai with contentment.

A light banging came through the ceiling and Gojyo sighed, running his hand through his hair he had pressed a soft kiss to the demon's dark head and slipped from the bed.

"Those kids, I swear, it's after midnight, what the hell do they think 'bedtime' is anyways?" he growled lightly.

"Ah…let them have a few nights to adjust, they did just lose their families."

"Yeah, well we were both orphans, doesn't mean we were this much trouble!" he grumbled back towards the bed.

"…."

He caught the reflection of dusky vines on moonlit skin and one finely arched eyebrow in the small table mirror and sighed.

"Ok, so maybe we were _worse_. All right, I'll let them be, not like they won't wear out soon enough anyways."

Hakkai didn't answer. He just pulled the sheets down allowing him to ease back in and then slipped farther under their downy confines, wriggling until he got to just the right position.

"Fine, but tomorrow, you're putting them to bed; they don't listen to me at all."

"Of course, 'Dad'."

"Oh shut up, will you."

A faint giggling permeated their room as soft banging followed them into sleep.

***

"Dad?"

"Daddy? You ok?"

The twins were leaning in and looking at him, confusion and a little scared all clear as day on their faces. He smiled and tapped Mao on the nose, causing the little girl to squeal and flail at the offending fingers.

"Hey!?"

"Heh, now you sound like that bakasaru." He caught Hakkai's concerned stare and winked at him suggestively, laughing wholeheartedly at the man as he rolled his eyes and pulled the little girl closer towards him, a mini shield against his lover's perversions.

"Hey Daddy?"

"Hmm?"

"So, did Sanzo-sama and Goku ever meet again?" her big eyed stare made Hakkai's breath catch, she looked just like Goku for a moment.

"Stupid, they'll meet in heaven one day, right Dad?" Kai twisted in Gojyo's hold, nearly toppling off the sill.

All Gojyo could do was smile and look towards the pale purple sunset.

"Yeah, they'll meet in heaven. I'm sure of it."

The little family sat in silence for the rest of the evening, letting the stories and memories wash over them, clinging to each other as the sun slipped below the horizon and the stars peppered the sky.

As the last rays faded Hakkai leaned back and sighed softly, Gojyo's hand resting on his shoulder, their children in their arms, their memories left to guide them towards the future.

Fin.

**Breakfast in Bed**

Series: Saiyuki AU

Rating: T; Pairing: 58

AN: Tobacco Road Arc, pt. 4

Six year olds are an interesting breed of childhood innocence and adult prudishness. The first time Mao ran into the room, stared at us slack jawed, then blushed furiously and peeled back out of said room, the door quivering in its frame after her escape, we merely blinked rapidly and couldn't make eye contact with her for the rest of the week. The second time she did it we installed locks and made the pledge that nothing was going to happen before they were turned and double checked. The third time it happened, I sent Gojyo in to have a little 'talk' with our beautiful red-headed minx now, I'm terrified to admit, turned fangirl.

The first time Kai did it was the last time we did. It has now been 20,240 minutes since we were last together and quite frankly, I don't care anymore if they do see us. Forget it. Not my concern. We were going to have to have this talk anyways; granted I always figured we had another (hopefully) ten years, but whatever. So now I'm standing here in the living room watching Gojyo make the kids sandwiches and pour one chocolate and one strawberry milk drink, because _Lord Forbid,_ Kai drink something girly like strawberry (even though it is one of my favorites), and trying to figure out how to subtly kick our children to the curb for a few hours so that Mommy can have some much needed alone time with Daddy and…when the heck did I start talking like an idiot?

Pinching the bridge of my nose I try to muffle the sound of a sigh. It's easier without having to wear the glasses or my monocle anymore, but the glass eye still bothers me. It's always a challenge to overlay the two images my powers feed directly into my brain. The image is not very different, but the lack of true depth perception is annoying, especially since the shadows that show space and relationship between objects are replaced with the energy of that object; it was all very confusing in the beginning. After the fake eye was, well, _forced_ into my skull, God that sounds horrid, I spent the better part of two weeks locked up in the temple with Sanzo and Goku just trying to walk around without crashing into things. Playing 'tag' as Goku liked to call it, was a nightmare world of bruised shins and black eyes for almost a month.

And then I went home.

I must admit, seeing Gojyo's shocked face was completely worth asking Sanzo to keep my resurrection under wraps. Of course he's never been allowed to cut his own hair again, but that was kind of a given anyways. Looking at us then, I'd never have believed that over ten years later we would basically be married with twin, a real house with a garden and a café and all grown-up like. _Oh_, I better stop the laughing to myself -- Gojyo's got that confused look on his face that always means I'm starting to sound a bit crazy. Maybe I have. Not getting any in over two weeks will do that to a guy and him winking at me over Mai's little red-head is not helping.

There's a tapping at the front door as I stand to join them for lunch, though I'm not really hungry, "I'll get it."

Mrs. Peterson is one of our favorite clients. Not only does she send her oldest daughter in every morning for pastries, she watches the twins whenever we have to be away for a while. I'm noticeably excited to see her at our door.

"Mrs. Peterson, good afternoon. How are you today?"

The pleasantries are merely a requirement and I'm not really listening as she goes on and on about her son's latest achievement, something about a science faire in the next town for a week. I don't really care. She's just come to ask us to watch the house, and since I'm obviously not going to get the break I desperately want, I simply smile number 34, that's the 'oh fine, just leave me the list and go away' smile and somehow she gets the message and leaves. As I turn back to the kitchen and drop the keys on the side table I shake my head slightly at Gojyo's unasked question and smile ruefully as his face drops, expectation is running high between us and if we don't get some form of break soon we just might have to lock the kids in the backyard for a 'camp out' one night just to get some time alone.

I stop dead in my tracks. That doesn't sound like such a bad idea, but then I remember that they're only six and no matter how much I want to jump their father's bones, six is just too young to be left alone. I sigh again as I slide into my chair and pick at the bologna sandwich. I hate bologna. There's a soft rustle of cloth and then the warm weight of Gojyo's hands slip around my neck and the sandwich is picked up and replaced with another. This one is fried until crunchy and I smile, he remembered. Bologna is disgusting, but fried bologna is comfort food from back when Kanan was still around. Such a silly, simple little thing that reminds me once again why I fell in love with this man.

After lunch I send the kids upstairs to get their smocks on, Saturday is market day and they love coming with me to pick out the week's produce from the vendors, but oh my do they get so dirty! As they scamper back downstairs and I reach for the door Gojyo leans over and presses a soft, warm kiss onto the side of my mouth, stealing my breath as his touch always does and then leans down and ruffles the kid's hair. Waving from the front door as we head out and reminding us to have fun and take our time. Though I greatly enjoy my afternoons outside with the kids and the sights and sounds and feel of the market washing around us, I secretly want to run back to that house and drag Gojyo under the covers all while shutting everything and one out for at least two hours, maybe even longer.

But I have shopping to do.

It's almost dusk by the time we get back. I'm glad my hair isn't any longer or I'd probably be complaining about how it's hanging limply into my eyes and showing how tired I am. The kids are covered in mud and berry stains and I am so very glad I always insist on making them wear those bright yellow slickers when we go out. They, obligingly, drop them in a crumpled heap on the porch before tossing their boots down besides them and running through the house only to be stopped hard by Gojyo's warning voice in the hallway. I'm halfway out of my own boots when the bags are lifted from my arms and a light kiss is placed to my startled brow. Gojyo's in the doorway cradling at least two of the brown bags and smiling down at me like the cat that just ate the mouse, all Cheshire like.

I can feel my brows start to furrow, what did he burn this time? However I'm pleasantly surprised to find that he hasn't been attempting to cook dinner and instead the young girl from down the street, Jessica, I believe her name is, is now ushering the kids and their backpacks and sleeping bags back out onto the patio and collecting their boots with a warm smile for me and a nod for Gojyo and my sweet, darling, ever thoughtful, love has just given us the night off and I don't remember if I got my other shoe off before I glomped him in the doorway or not.

I don't really care anyways.

The night is spent reacquainting ourselves with each other's arms and legs and stomachs, scars and dimples, nipples and ears and toes and breath and maybe a massage in the tub for sore muscles and gentle petting strokes of the brush through ruby locks and then _finally_ getting a full night's sleep in, because when you become old sleep is _almost_ better than sex, especially when the kids are early risers. But just barely, because we're only kind of old people and Gojyo'd freak if I dared to tell him he was anything other than the 19 year old stud I first met way back at the beginning of our lives together.

So when the sun is already high up in the sky I smile into a gentle prodding of warm fingers slipping across my back. Relishing the feeling of those perfectly calloused fingers rubbing tight little circles over the smooth skin and partially crack a sleep heavy lid to gaze adoringly at the ever surprising man I've sworn myself to. He's smiling again and holding onto a tray full of strawberry waffles with whipped cream and strawberry milk and a small plate of bacon and somehow I can't help but match his pleased as punch expression as I pull myself up against the pillows and he slides the tray over my lap before slipping in next to me and stealing a piece of the smoky bacon before I can even take in everything.

There's a single pristine mini white calla lily standing in a small etched glass along with the food, but that's not what catches my attention. Sitting on the very edge of the tray is a neat little bundle tied up with string. At my questioning look he smiles and nods, holding the tray while I untie and look over the various, multi-colored papers. Some have stickers on them, some little stories, others are drawing or songs or hand prints and I can feel my shoulders start to shake. How could I have forgotten? It's been two years since we officially adopted the twins and spread out in front of me are all the pictures and childish scrawls they've ever drawn for us.

But my favorite is the big one on my lap. The one with two little red-heads and one big one all holding hands with messy handwriting that's only semi-legible, but the big red heart and the words, "We love you Daddy" are more than clear for me to read. And I love them even more for it.

Yes, I love them even more.

But if he takes one more piece of my bacon he's going to be wearing that whipped cream. He laughs at me and nuzzles in against my neck. Apparently we have time for that too. You know, I think maybe I could get use to the breakfast in bed thing.

I really could.

Fin.


	4. Breakfast in Bed

**Breakfast in Bed**

Series: Saiyuki AU

Rating: T; Pairing: 58

AN: Tobacco Road Arc, pt. 4

Six year olds are an interesting breed of childhood innocence and adult prudishness. The first time Mao ran into the room, stared at us slack jawed, then blushed furiously and peeled back out of said room, the door quivering in its frame after her escape, we merely blinked rapidly and couldn't make eye contact with her for the rest of the week. The second time she did it we installed locks and made the pledge that nothing was going to happen before they were turned and double checked. The third time it happened, I sent Gojyo in to have a little 'talk' with our beautiful red-headed minx now, I'm terrified to admit, turned fangirl.

The first time Kai did it was the last time we did. It has now been 20,240 minutes since we were last together and quite frankly, I don't care anymore if they do see us. Forget it. Not my concern. We were going to have to have this talk anyways; granted I always figured we had another (hopefully) ten years, but whatever. So now I'm standing here in the living room watching Gojyo make the kids sandwiches and pour one chocolate and one strawberry milk drink, because _Lord Forbid,_ Kai drink something girly like strawberry (even though it is one of my favorites), and trying to figure out how to subtly kick our children to the curb for a few hours so that Mommy can have some much needed alone time with Daddy and…when the heck did I start talking like an idiot?

Pinching the bridge of my nose I try to muffle the sound of a sigh. It's easier without having to wear the glasses or my monocle anymore, but the glass eye still bothers me. It's always a challenge to overlay the two images my powers feed directly into my brain. The image is not very different, but the lack of true depth perception is annoying, especially since the shadows that show space and relationship between objects are replaced with the energy of that object; it was all very confusing in the beginning. After the fake eye was, well, _forced_ into my skull, God that sounds horrid, I spent the better part of two weeks locked up in the temple with Sanzo and Goku just trying to walk around without crashing into things. Playing 'tag' as Goku liked to call it, was a nightmare world of bruised shins and black eyes for almost a month.

And then I went home.

I must admit, seeing Gojyo's shocked face was completely worth asking Sanzo to keep my resurrection under wraps. Of course he's never been allowed to cut his own hair again, but that was kind of a given anyways. Looking at us then, I'd never have believed that over ten years later we would basically be married with twin, a real house with a garden and a café and all grown-up like. _Oh_, I better stop the laughing to myself -- Gojyo's got that confused look on his face that always means I'm starting to sound a bit crazy. Maybe I have. Not getting any in over two weeks will do that to a guy and him winking at me over Mai's little red-head is not helping.

There's a tapping at the front door as I stand to join them for lunch, though I'm not really hungry, "I'll get it."

Mrs. Peterson is one of our favorite clients. Not only does she send her oldest daughter in every morning for pastries, she watches the twins whenever we have to be away for a while. I'm noticeably excited to see her at our door.

"Mrs. Peterson, good afternoon. How are you today?"

The pleasantries are merely a requirement and I'm not really listening as she goes on and on about her son's latest achievement, something about a science faire in the next town for a week. I don't really care. She's just come to ask us to watch the house, and since I'm obviously not going to get the break I desperately want, I simply smile number 34, that's the 'oh fine, just leave me the list and go away' smile and somehow she gets the message and leaves. As I turn back to the kitchen and drop the keys on the side table I shake my head slightly at Gojyo's unasked question and smile ruefully as his face drops, expectation is running high between us and if we don't get some form of break soon we just might have to lock the kids in the backyard for a 'camp out' one night just to get some time alone.

I stop dead in my tracks. That doesn't sound like such a bad idea, but then I remember that they're only six and no matter how much I want to jump their father's bones, six is just too young to be left alone. I sigh again as I slide into my chair and pick at the bologna sandwich. I hate bologna. There's a soft rustle of cloth and then the warm weight of Gojyo's hands slip around my neck and the sandwich is picked up and replaced with another. This one is fried until crunchy and I smile, he remembered. Bologna is disgusting, but fried bologna is comfort food from back when Kanan was still around. Such a silly, simple little thing that reminds me once again why I fell in love with this man.

After lunch I send the kids upstairs to get their smocks on, Saturday is market day and they love coming with me to pick out the week's produce from the vendors, but oh my do they get so dirty! As they scamper back downstairs and I reach for the door Gojyo leans over and presses a soft, warm kiss onto the side of my mouth, stealing my breath as his touch always does and then leans down and ruffles the kid's hair. Waving from the front door as we head out and reminding us to have fun and take our time. Though I greatly enjoy my afternoons outside with the kids and the sights and sounds and feel of the market washing around us, I secretly want to run back to that house and drag Gojyo under the covers all while shutting everything and one out for at least two hours, maybe even longer.

But I have shopping to do.

It's almost dusk by the time we get back. I'm glad my hair isn't any longer or I'd probably be complaining about how it's hanging limply into my eyes and showing how tired I am. The kids are covered in mud and berry stains and I am so very glad I always insist on making them wear those bright yellow slickers when we go out. They, obligingly, drop them in a crumpled heap on the porch before tossing their boots down besides them and running through the house only to be stopped hard by Gojyo's warning voice in the hallway. I'm halfway out of my own boots when the bags are lifted from my arms and a light kiss is placed to my startled brow. Gojyo's in the doorway cradling at least two of the brown bags and smiling down at me like the cat that just ate the mouse, all Cheshire like.

I can feel my brows start to furrow, what did he burn this time? However I'm pleasantly surprised to find that he hasn't been attempting to cook dinner and instead the young girl from down the street, Jessica, I believe her name is, is now ushering the kids and their backpacks and sleeping bags back out onto the patio and collecting their boots with a warm smile for me and a nod for Gojyo and my sweet, darling, ever thoughtful, love has just given us the night off and I don't remember if I got my other shoe off before I glomped him in the doorway or not.

I don't really care anyways.

The night is spent reacquainting ourselves with each other's arms and legs and stomachs, scars and dimples, nipples and ears and toes and breath and maybe a massage in the tub for sore muscles and gentle petting strokes of the brush through ruby locks and then _finally_ getting a full night's sleep in, because when you become old sleep is _almost_ better than sex, especially when the kids are early risers. But just barely, because we're only kind of old people and Gojyo'd freak if I dared to tell him he was anything other than the 19 year old stud I first met way back at the beginning of our lives together.

So when the sun is already high up in the sky I smile into a gentle prodding of warm fingers slipping across my back. Relishing the feeling of those perfectly calloused fingers rubbing tight little circles over the smooth skin and partially crack a sleep heavy lid to gaze adoringly at the ever surprising man I've sworn myself to. He's smiling again and holding onto a tray full of strawberry waffles with whipped cream and strawberry milk and a small plate of bacon and somehow I can't help but match his pleased as punch expression as I pull myself up against the pillows and he slides the tray over my lap before slipping in next to me and stealing a piece of the smoky bacon before I can even take in everything.

There's a single pristine mini white calla lily standing in a small etched glass along with the food, but that's not what catches my attention. Sitting on the very edge of the tray is a neat little bundle tied up with string. At my questioning look he smiles and nods, holding the tray while I untie and look over the various, multi-colored papers. Some have stickers on them, some little stories, others are drawing or songs or hand prints and I can feel my shoulders start to shake. How could I have forgotten? It's been two years since we officially adopted the twins and spread out in front of me are all the pictures and childish scrawls they've ever drawn for us.

But my favorite is the big one on my lap. The one with two little red-heads and one big one all holding hands with messy handwriting that's only semi-legible, but the big red heart and the words, "We love you Daddy" are more than clear for me to read. And I love them even more for it.

Yes, I love them even more.

But if he takes one more piece of my bacon he's going to be wearing that whipped cream. He laughs at me and nuzzles in against my neck. Apparently we have time for that too. You know, I think maybe I could get use to the breakfast in bed thing.

I really could.

Fin.


	5. Enduring Silence WIP

**Enduring Silence**

Series: Saiyuki AU

Rating: T

Ch. 1-

"Come, Ravi." Small tentative fingers clutched his as he turned from the old woman and started the long journey back towards Chang'an. It would take months if not a year to make it back. Glancing down at the small child by his side he amended that thought; this would most likely take years and be a growing point for the two of them. Five years had passed since Sanzo's death. The child was only three, Sanzo had been as stubborn as they had thought, waiting two years to be reincarnated. Goku grimaced at the memory.

"What's wrong?" The voice was lightly inflected with concern as it broke through his musings.

"Nothing. I was remembering your last life." He smiled broadly, more teeth than lips showed though in this new form unfortunately.

"Hmm…I don't remember much. There was rain and I was crying. I wanted the pain to stop, but I couldn't feel any pain. Someone was yelling for me, calling me, over and over…was that you?"

Goku was amazed at the level of intelligence the child displayed, really there was something more to this new Sanzo than he could see right now.

"Yes. I wanted you to come back to me. Ravi?"

"Yes?"

"What else do you remember?"

"Not much, shadows, sometimes faces. Oh! And this…it's my special toy."

"A…paper fan?"

"Granny said it was called a hari..hara…"

"Harisen."

"Yes, that's it! I'd hide it here in my sleeve and when she wasn't looking I'd chase the monkeys around in the yard and sometimes the little ones were stupid enough to let me hit them upside the head." The little boy paused his joyous rambling and bit down on his bottom lip thoughtfully before raising his eyes and staring at the Monkey King.

"I wonder why that always made me feel better?" Goku smiled softly and petted his head, earning him a disapproving scowl.

"Were you lonely with the old lady?"

"No. Not really. She was very kind, but she smoked and I don't like the smell of smoke." He crinkled his button nose up in admonishment.

"She always told me that someone would come for me. She said I'd hear them in here." He tapped his head with the folded fan lightly and kept speaking. "I think she was wrong though."

Goku looked down quickly, alarm slowing his steps, "Ravi, do you want to hear someone?"

"Maybe, when I'm older. I think since I'm never alone, there's no reason to hear one now. I don't need make believe friends…" he glanced up shyly, "because from now on you'll be my friend, won't you?"

Goku stopped and kneeled in the dusty road, his fingers lightly ghosting over the soft pale skin and smiled, "Your best friend, okay? I have been beside you for many lifetimes; I don't plan and stopping now."

Ravi grinned up at him and flung himself into Goku's arms, wrapping his own small ones around his neck and giving it a gentle squeeze, "Thank you." He whispered.

Goku cradled the boy against his chest and fought the urge to cry. His older self was tight lipped about the whole situation, but inside his chest was still the irrepressible joy and childish innocence that Goku had always maintained. Five years of wandering through China and India again had given him a certain level of comfort with his new form.

Standing, he hefted the child effortlessly onto his shoulder and started walking again.

"Where are we going?"

"A very long ways."

"Are you going to walk to whole way?"

"That was the plan."

"Stupid plan, don't we have something faster?"

Goku smirked and kept walking, "Some things never change," he mumbled.

***

Ch. 2

"Did you see?" "I can't believe there are any left." "I'm scared." "Let's go tell the constable." "I don't want them here." "Filthy beasts." "Is he going to eat that child?"

"Goku…"

"Ignore them, Ravi. They aren't worth it."

Ravi clutched at Goku's mane a little harder--fingers twining the silky brown-gold strands around and around until Goku thought they might just snap under the boy's nervous attention.

"You there…demon. We don't want any trouble, but you can't stay." Goku turned and glanced over his shoulder amused at the fumbling ferocity the middle-aged, balding constable turned on them as they passed through the small square.

"We have no intention of staying, sir. We are merely passing through." He stated as clearly as possible and without even the faintest hint of indignation. He'd learned over the last few years that in his proper form, even the slight narrowing of eyes looked deadly to most humans. He guessed the next time he saw Hakkai he'd have to thank him. Watching him all those years made this new skill of polite indifference come much easier.

"That boy, he's human. You should leave him here and go. We don't want any trouble."

Now Goku did narrow his eyes and bared his teeth just a tiny bit, though it was enough to make those villagers closest to them shy back a few steps. "The boy goes with me, he's not your concern or your blood; he _is_ mine."

Puffing himself up the constable thrust out his chest and glared at Goku. "Boy's human. You're a monster. There's no reason for him to be with you other than as food, so let him go."

Ravi looked back and forth between the older, portly man with salt and pepper wisps of tufted hair at his ears and down at the golden gold-like demon whose shoulders he'd been ridding for the last few days. Goku had one square clawed hand across his chest to lightly hold on to his own small knee keeping him both balanced and as a gesture of protection against the steadily growing crowd. In the hot Indian sun his golden skin shown copper and brilliant, powerful and elegant in its grandeur.

The man, by comparison, was tallow skinned and gaunt looking. His face red with embarrassment as people started yelling at him to do something, to take back the child from this monster in front of him. Looking at the demon though, he could see something was different. Even after the great calamity of five years ago he'd never seen a demon so regal looking.

"I don't want to go."

He looked up at the child sitting so elegantly on the demon's shoulder and stared dumbfounded.

"You haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about, little girl, just be quiet and let us adults take care of this!"

Goku smiled and waited, he'd get to see if this new Sanzo was really like his old one or not sooner than he thought.

"I…am…not…a…GIRL!!!" The trembling form announced, spitting at the assembled adults in his indignation.

Goku chuckled softly at the taken aback looks of the villagers, "No, he's not and we have business to attend to. Good bye."

"I can't believe him! What is he, an idiot? A girl? A _girl_?!! Can we leave yet?" The righteous anger mixed with childish lilting tones made Goku laugh openly as he turned on his heel and started walking away, Ravi shaking in frustration as he continued his litany.

"And **you**! Some God you are, they can't even tell I'm a boy! Are you listening to me? Goku. GOKU!!"

*Whack*

Goku didn't even feel the small harisen as it thwacked benignly against the top of his head. Oh, this child had a long way to go before he'd perfected Sanzo's Paper Fan of Doom slap, but the rest was right on target. It made that part of him that was still hurt from his lovers' death relax a bit. It was just a matter of time. If there was one thing Goku had learned how to do, it was wait.

"We're not…GAH!!!"

Goku didn't even spare a look over his shoulder as he recalled his Nyoibou to his side, the suddenly shrinking form retracting into the smaller walking staff he usually carried. Ravi twisted on his shoulder, glancing back and smirking at the constable who was laid out flat on his back, a gaping hole between his feet where the weapon had collided with the hard packed clay road and won.

"Stupid idiots," The young boy muttered.

"Now Ravi, that's not a very enlightened thing to say. They were only scared."

"Why should I care if people like that are scared? They only bother you if you look different or weak and they don't stand up for the ones that really need it. I don't like those types of people. I'd rather just stay with you."

Goku smiled and patted the boy's head, "Don't worry, I will never leave you, Ravi. Never."

***

Ch. 3

The breeze was nice and cool against the raw sunburn peppering the white skin of Ravi's back as he lay dozing lightly across Goku's stomach. Goku smiled as the boy shifted in his sleep, unconsciously drawing his fingers over the chaos emblem on the taut, golden skin of his stomach, lips curving up into a soft, tender smile as he lightly drew his claws through the shimmering halo of the boy's hair.

He wondered if Master Koumyou had felt this fluttering in his stomach when Sanzo had looked at him as a boy. It was hard, imagining this toddler becoming the man who use to beat him mercilessly over the head with his fan, or shoot at him and Gojyo for breathing wrong when he was in a bad mood. This innocent looking child was destined to become a man capable of taking down gods. It amused and frightened him to no end.

He seriously fretted over whether he was the best person to take care of the boy. Hakkai and Gojyo might be better suited, having their own kids and all, but he was loath to leave Ravi now that he'd found him. He'd have to stop by his friends when they returned though. Just to check in of course.

"Mmmhhh…"

Glancing down he gently brushed the yellow-blond hair out of sleepy eyes and smiled when violet-blue orbs blinked slowly back at him.

"'morning."

"Good morning, Ravi."

"Where?"

"A small valley thirty miles north of the town; we are safe here."

Ravi pushed himself up and slid off of Goku as the older demon also moved to sit up.

"Why were they so mad at you?"

"They we're not really mad at me, just demons in general."

"But why?"

"Did the old lady not tell you about the Great Calamity five years ago?"

Ravi shook his head vigorously.

"Oh, well then I should tell you what really happened. Several years ago most of the demons that had been living peacefully with humans started to go crazy. No one understood why. Sanzo…"

"That was me."

"Yes. Sanzo and I were sent to figure out why and stop it. We traveled with two others, Hakkai and Gojyo, and a small dragon called Jeep. We traveled from China to India for many years stopping murdering demons that had lost their sanity."

"Why were they crazy?"

"There were some people that wanted to revive a demon so powerful it had taken a God to stop him in the past. Their magic and science was starting to wake him up again and the result was driving all the lesser demons mad."

"But you won."

"Yes, barely, but we did."

"Did I die then?"

"No. No, Sanzo lived for a while after we stopped Gyoumaoh."

"Then how did I die?"

Goku swallowed hard and closed his eyes. He didn't want to have this conversation yet. Not yet.

"Let's get lunch started, I'll tell you about that later, alright?"

"Goku…."

Goku glanced down at the boy, bright features and shinning eyes now dark and stormy behind the shimmering amethyst. Child in body he might be, but his mind still held fractions of his lover's notorious temper.

Goku sighed and kneeled beside the boy.

"There was a battle, afterwards. I was…I was unable to save you. You sacrificed your life to save the world, Ravi. You should be very proud of that."

"You're not telling me everything." The boy pouted, foot tapping the ground sulkily as he crossed his arms and jutted out his bottom lip.

"No, I'm not. But one day you will remember and we will talk about it then. In the meantime I am here with you, and I will not leave."

"You say that all the time."

"Because you are very important to me, Ravi. When you are older you will understand."

"I think I'm going to hate that."

"What?" Goku blinked confused.

"Waiting. I'm going to hate waiting."

Goku smiled and ruffled the boy's hair, leaning over to press a feather light kiss to his forehead.

"I think we both will." He murmured, gathering the boy close for a hug before hefting him onto his shoulder.

"Where to now?"

"I thought lunch. Does roasted fish sound good to you?"

"Yeah. That's fine." He grumbled, small fingers still touching the spot on his forehead where Goku'd kissed him.

***

Ch. 4

Roasted fish and the valley were days behind them--uneventful, boring days by Ravi's telling. Goku had refused to answer about how he died and it was starting to annoy him. He thought up all sorts of dangerous images, dragons, and lions, and once, even a fall from a cliff. He'd shivered at that one, something about the idea, of falling into a rushing canyon stream and not being able to get free terrified him. He had a woken thrashing in his bed roll next to Goku, tears in his eyes and a scream on his lips. It had seemed so _real_. Goku had done his best to calm him, but no amount of soothing words worked as well as feeling the warm press of the demon's chest under his cheek, of his heartbeat steady and sure under his ear. He loved the sound.

Now they were walking through a small stunted forest, the rain pounding down around them, denting the clay soil and slicing through the large bodi leaves. The ferocity of the storm was terrifying. The large lightening arcs across the deep purple sky electrified the air making his hair stand on end. Crowding in against Goku's chest he tried to make himself as tiny as possible, even going so far as wrapping the blue dhoti around his head, the ends of the scarf wrapped tightly up in his tiny fists.

"Are you afraid?" Goku's soft voice rumbled around him like the thunder.

"No."

Smiling, Goku cupped the small chin and made him meet his eyes.

"Maybe."

"The storm will last another day. It will be two more before we can continue on. Why don't I tell you about our adventures while we wait?"

Ravi nodded as another crack of lightning ripped the sky asunder, jerking back against the strong body. He hated the rain.

"There was one time, we were camping out again, and Gojyo had made this bet with camp duties as the prize, that he could steal Sanzo's sutra while he was bathing in the river. Hakkai tried to tell him it could only result in his death, that Sanzo never went anywhere without it, but he laughed off the warning and winked at me determined. We crept down to the river, keeping downwind should there be any breeze. I could hear slashing and humming. It was nice, a little off-key, but not too bad. As we got closer I could see Sanzo in the water. There was still ice on the edges, floating there like miniature icebergs, it had to be freezing."

He smiled at the memory, shifting farther back into the tiny ruined temple, pulling Ravi with him as he settled the boy against him, his chin brushing the top of his head every time he spoke.

"So Gojyo sees his clothes hanging off a branch near the forest and creeps around to them. We stopped dead when the idiot stepped on a twig, the snap so loud in the sudden quiet that we were certain the next sound would be Sanzo's gun going off. But it didn't. Sanzo barely turned to glance at the sound; he just kept humming and scrubbing at his skin with the bar of soap. I should have known then, but I thought we were clever."

He chuckled lightly, "Gojyo was finally able to get the clothes and scrambled back towards me. Huddling in the bushes we went through them…no sutra. Sighing, we turned as one to glance back to Sanzo, but he wasn't in the stream any longer. We glanced around nervously, edging back the way we came. There was a soft click behind my ear…Sanzo was right behind me, gun cocked and aimed straight between my eyes."

Ravi sucked in a quick breath, "What did he do?" he gasped.

Goku let his eyes slip mostly shut with only a thin sliver of the gold shimmering through.

Pulling the silence out dramatically he waited until the young boy was crawling up out of his arms, face twitching in anticipation.

"He cocked the gun…glaring daggers at us…and just as he was about to speak…"

He could feel the tension mounting in the small body, those deep violet eyes fixed on his face expectantly…

"Gojyo let out this _huge_ fart! I mean, it just ripped through the forest!!" he exclaimed, curling in tightly and tickling the boy mercilessly.

Ravi squealed as ghostly claws tickled their way across his sides and stomach, giggling madly as he twisted back and forth in Goku's arms, the storm and fear forgotten in the silliness of the moment. When they finally quieted down, reclining against the cool stone and wrapped in Goku's cape Ravi whispered softly, his lips murmuring against Goku's throat.

"Thank you…Goku."

Goku spent the rest of the night smiling tenderly at the small form in his arms, his claws petting the silken corn silk hair lovingly. He really couldn't wait for the boy to grow up.

***

Ch. 5—

Someone should have given him a bit of training when dealing with kids. Or gods-trapped-in-kids'-bodies, or reincarnations of ex-lovers, or _something_, because he was definitely not prepared for long term travel with a pre-schooler. A few days he was fine with, he definitely had enough stories to keep them amused. A few weeks…okay, a bit harder to keep the happy up, but still doable. A few _months_?! Ung-uh, he'd long lost sense of the boy as a lover that cared for him, that draped him in loving arms and sugared words…wait, Sanzo had never been like that to begin with, so what the hell was his problem with dealing with a cranky, surly, bordering on four-year old that had firm command of a mini harisen?

"Ravi, for the last time, no, we cannot stop so you can chase the monkeys." he sighed exasperated.

"But they're annoying!" he pouted, clutching Goku's arm as he was once more swung up onto the demon's shoulder.

"I really don't care. If I stop and let you play with every monkey in India we'll never reach China."

"Why are we going back to China anyways?" he whined, rubbing his eyes with the back of his fist.

Goku let out a long suffering sigh; they had this conversation once a week at least.

"I told you, I live in China. All our friends are there and we are going back to the temple in Chang'an."

"I don't wanna go to some stupid temple."

Goku rubbed his eyes, biting back a small growl of frustration.

"I don't wanna! I don't wanna!** I don't wanna!!!**" He shouted, punctuating each sentence with a kick of small feet against Goku's chest.

"Please just settle down. It won't take much longer." He placated, whispering under his breath that it had better not, for all their sakes.

***

Fall came and went with monsoons and swollen river banks along the Gahanga Rive in the far North East provinces. Goku slowed to a halt to survey their latest hurdle. So far the journey had been much more relaxed than his previous venture into the country, or out of it for that matter. Setting Ravi carefully on a large bolder he paced the roaring river's edge, the beast within the man curling his clawed feet instinctively to keep his balance in the ever shifting mud.

He cursed as part of a bridge floated past; the boards cracking under the waters might as they were flung haphazardly against deep umber rocks, the flotsam striking several near their own perilous position along the banks. Stalking back towards his charge he called out to the boy, his arm half extended as he beckoned him over.

It was the worse mistake of his life.

He didn't know he could move that fast. Or slow, since everything seemed to slow to the point where taking a lungful of air burned his lungs. Of course that might have been the water rushing in the fill them as well. Surging forward he leapt for the tottering blond child only to have the tissue-silk kurta shred under his nails. He knew the look of absolute terror and panic on the boys face was mirrored in his own. Watching as the grey-swirling ink rushed up to meet the boy, the small white face held aloft for a moment like the moon in the sky before it disappeared down into the chaos.

Goku forgot how to breathe.

Slamming into the bolder he careened away from its slick surface with a powerful thrust of his legs, his body slicing through the white-capped flood in a desperate search to find the boy. He called out his name, throat and nose burning as air and water fought for entrance, thrusting off of one rock only to be pounded mercilessly into another, all the while reaching for an arm or leg that wasn't there.

He kicked violently at the hateful water, head breaking through to the surface and flung his soaked mane back out of his eyes. A cry as piercing as a mountain wind raced through his soggy mind, his head whipped to the left just as a pale arm beat at the air furiously, the pain in his head overshadowed by the desperate need to move, to grasp and cling to the gasping form, midnight silk and thin child's skin tearing like paper under his claws, the deep red washed out like dye.

But he had him; that was all that mattered.

Floundering for a bit without the use of one arm, it took him considerably longer than he liked to get to the far shore. He could have turned back, might have been better for them if he had, but in for a penny in for a pound as the monks use to say. He coughed up half the river, his legs still dangling in its fierce wake as he pulled them free of its deadly clutches. Ravi was shivering violently in his arms, but his raking sobs and wet gagging as the fouled river water was expelled from his lungs proved he lived.

"Ra..vi…" he croaked, tongue thick in his mouth. Flipping over onto his back he set the boy on top of him, thumps pushing the dripping locks out of his eyes, the mud away from his mouth.

"God…Thank God…" was all he could murmur, repeating the phrase over and over, in his head or out loud he didn't know or care. Crushing the boy against him he swore softly that he'd never leave him again.

Ravi could only cry softly into the heavy material of Goku's jerkin as he shivered.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he cried, desperately trying to get closer.

Goku smoothed his hair back and cupped the sobbing face. He wondered if this is what he had looked like as a child back in Heaven.

"It's alright now, you're safe, and I'm not leaving you. It's alright." He soothed repeatedly until the small form's breathing evened out into that of exhausted sleep.

He wanted nothing more than to follow into a dreamless landscape, but he wasn't sure of the river's stability. Pushing himself up, he stumbled for the tree line. Praying that was the last of their problems for a while.

TBC.


	6. Bailar

Title: **Bailar**

Rating: T

Pairing: HakkaixGojyo

AN: Tobacco Road pt. 6

Hakkai was laughing, tears welling in his eyes as he shook his head in amusement. Gojyo slapped his shoulder in mock agitation.

"It's not funny, Hakkai." He groaned, slumping as low as the stiff kitchen chair let him. Vines stroked down his cheek attempting to be soothing; their shaking with humor kind of ruined that though.

"Seriously, it's not funny."

"I'm sorry Gojyo, but yes, it really is." He rubbed the tears away and bent over, pulling Gojyo's one still socked foot over his knee, trying vainly not to smile.

"You know she thinks you're sick. Came into the kitchen earlier asking if it was 'your time of the month'." Another giggle fit from the brunette. His eyes shimmered in the lamp light as he peered closer, his fingers gently outlining the socks' cuff before rolling it off.

"You tell her anything but the truth, you hear me you sadistic bastard?!" Gojyo hissed between clenched teeth. "Anything, but what actually happened."

Hakkai chuckled again before running his tongue lightly over the ankle.

"Aw hell, _shitshitshit_, okay, don't take this the wrong way, but please don't touch me! Fuck!!" flinging his head back he screwed his eyes shut and tried not to scream.

"Tsk, tsk, come now love, it's all part of the 'treatment'." He smirked up at the redhead affectionately.

"No. It. Is. Not! Now just heal the damn thing already!" He barked, another wave of nauseous agony rolling over him.

"It's your own fault you know." He sighed, green light shimmering around his fingers.

"How exactly is this _my_ fault?"

"_You_ were supposed to take Kai to baseball practice. If you had Mao would have come to me for her dance lessons and _you_ wouldn't be sitting here with a broken foot vainly trying to hide it from our daughter." He snapped.

Gojyo opened his mouth to retort, but a quick flick of Hakkai's wrist and a bright flash of star-studded pain made him quickly rethink the idea.

"It's not my fault she still thinks she's six years old and forty pounds dripping wet." He grumbled darkly, crossing his arms and pouting.

"No, it isn't, but I highly suggest you don't tell our sixteen year old angel that she's anything other then Daddy's little girl." He acquiesced.

"I'm not old enough to have a teenager." He mumbled sulkily.

Hakkai chuckled as the tiny bones finished mending, sitting back on his heels to look over his lover and soul mate. The passage of time had been kind to them both, neither really looked their almost forty years; 'thank fucking God for small demonic miracles' Gojyo had said on his last birthday. The little crow lines around his ruby eyes were from more happy days than sad, as were the laugh lines around his mouth.

Their scars, both physical and mental, had faded to dull silver like his abandoned limiters, he took them out every once and a while, but he'd long ago come to terms with his demonic destiny. Gojyo no longer fought their son for every single scrap of food laid out on the dinner table, but then again, he couldn't quite hold as much liquor as he use to either.

They both still trained everyday and were slowly teaching the children as well. Kai was pretty deft with a small set of daggers Hakkai had purchased for him two years ago and Mao was an expert with her small cross-bow. They'd gotten some concern from the village about that, but both kids were so community-minded that they were hard pressed to give an exact reason why they shouldn't be allowed to continue their training.

Of course Gojyo still flirted shamelessly with the ladies at the market; though to his humor most had grandchildren clutching at their skirts while he did so. He was still Gojyo after all. Hakkai smiled as he leaned in and kissed the man soundly, running his hands across the broad chest and up over his shoulders.

"Hey," Gojyo whispered into his mouth, "wanna go do some more 'treatments' upstairs?"

Hakkai laughed out loud at the line, pulling back to look at him better. Smiling he started to stand, vine wreathed hands on his knees and called out…

"Mao! You're father's ready for your next lesson!!"

Giggling furiously as a shimmering halo of red hair launched herself down the stairs at them…Gojyo's terrified face as she spun past him just one more precious memory etched around his eyes and mouth. Chiseled into his heart--forever.

Fin.


End file.
